Oscar Robertson

Lore & Background

Robertson is a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted in 1980 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team and president of the National Basketball Players Association. Also in 1980, Robertson was named to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team. He was again voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) renamed their College Player of the Year Award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in his honor in 1998, and he was one of five people chosen to represent the inaugural National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2006. He was ranked as the 36th best American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN. In October 2021, Robertson was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Robertson was also an integral part of Robertson v. National Basketball Ass'n of 1970. The landmark NBA antitrust suit, which was filed when Robertson was the president of the NBA Players' Association, led to an extensive reform of the league's strict free agency and draft rules and, subsequently, to higher salaries for all players. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Reader's Guide

Robertson attended Crispus Attucks High School, an all-black high school, where he was coached by Ray Crowe. As a sophomore in 1954, he starred on an Attucks team that lost in the semi-state finals to eventual state champions Milan. When Robertson was a junior, Crispus Attucks won the 1955 state championship, the first for any all-black school in the nation. In his senior season, Robertson scored 24.0 points per game and was named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1956. His team finished with a 31–0 record and won a second straight IHSAA Men's Basketball Championship, becoming the first team in Indiana to secure a perfect season. In 1983, Robertson was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame. He continued to excel while playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats, recording a scoring average of 33.8 points per game, the third-highest in college history. In each of his three years, he won the national scoring title, was named a consensus first-team All-American, and was chosen college player of the year, while setting 14 NCAA and 19 school records. Robertson's stellar play led the Bearcats to a 79–9 overall record during his three varsity seasons, including two Final Four appearances. When Robertson left college, he was the all-time leading NCAA scorer until Pete Maravich topped him in 1970. He continues to stand atop the Bearcats' record book and the many records he still holds include points in one game at 62, career triple-doubles at 10, career rebounds per game at 15.2, and career points at 2,973. After college, Robertson and Jerry West co-captained the 1960 U.S. basketball team at the 1960 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal. He was the leading scorer of the team, as the U.S. team won its nine games by an average margin of 42.4 points. Prior to the 1960–61 NBA season, Robertson was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals as a territorial pick. In his rookie season, Robertson averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists, was named NBA Rookie of the Year, was elected into the All-NBA First Team, and made the first of 12 consecutive All-Star Game appearances. In the 1961–62 season, Robertson became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. He also set a then-NBA record for the most triple-doubles during the regular season with 41 triple-doubles.

Did You Know?

• Robertson was born into poverty in Charlotte, Tennessee, on November 24, 1938.
• He learned how to shoot by using tennis balls and rags wrapped with rubber bands and tossing them into a peach basket in the back of his family's home.
• In his college career, Robertson recorded 10 triple-doubles, with a personal best of 45 points, 23 rebounds, and 10 assists against Indiana State in 1959.