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Lt. (j.g.)U.S. Navy · Civil Engineer Corps

Basketball · San Antonio Spurs 1989–2003

b. 6 Aug 1965 · Key West, Florida

The Naval Academy's best player owed the Navy two years before the NBA — and kept the promise.

NBA CHAMPION 1999 & 2003 · NBA MVP 1995 · 10× ALL-STARTWO OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS AND ONE BRONZENAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 2009
David Robinson dunking for the San Antonio Spurs
David Robinson in U.S. Navy officer's uniform

TWO UNIFORMS

The Admiral · San Antonio Spurs

REC · DROB · DOSSIER

Service record

  1. 01

    U.S. Naval Academy, class of 1987 · led the nation in rebounding and blocked shots · Naismith and Wooden Awards, 1987

  2. 02

    Commissioned into the Civil Engineer Corps · two years' active service as assistant resident officer-in-charge of construction at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia (U.S. Navy)

  3. 03

    Joined the Spurs in 1989 after fulfilling his commitment · NBA champion 1999 and 2003 · Hall of Fame 2009

Did you know

Christened "The Admiral" at Annapolis. At 7'1" he was too tall for ships, submarines or aircraft — so the Navy made him an engineer.

BIRTHDAY

August 6

FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS

Observances

  • JAN 31Jackie Robinson born, 1919
  • APR 15Jackie Robinson Day — the debut, 1947
  • MAY 3Sugar Ray Robinson born, 1921
  • AUG 6David Robinson born, 1965
  • NOV 11Veterans Day
  • LAST MON · MAYMemorial Day

Personal timeline · birth → service → career → honors

  1. 6 Aug 1965

    Born in Key West, Florida.

  2. 1987

    Leads the nation in rebounding and blocked shots at the U.S. Naval Academy; Naismith and Wooden Awards. Christened "The Admiral."

  3. 1987–89

    Commissioned into the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps; two years' active service as assistant resident officer-in-charge of construction at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia.

  4. 1989

    Joins the San Antonio Spurs after fulfilling his Navy commitment.

  5. 1994

    NBA scoring champion — 71 points in the final game of the season.

  6. 1995

    NBA Most Valuable Player.

  7. 1999

    First NBA championship with the Spurs.

  8. 2003

    Second NBA championship in his final season.

  9. 2009

    Enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Related films · Kevin Clark's channel

David Robinson on film.

4:46 · 7 SEP 2026 · KEVIN CLARK

Victory by Valor — Trailer

The marquee. From segregation to celebration.

HERO · Victory by Valor — poster

11:36 · 8 MAY 2021 · KEVIN CLARK

HERO · Victory by Valor

The long-form cut.

III

The Path to Triple Victory · spotlight

Service, competition, gold — three Olympic medals for the Navy’s Admiral.

Bronze in Seoul 1988, gold with the Dream Team in Barcelona 1992, gold in Atlanta 1996. David Robinson is one of the eight Black American Olympians and Paralympians who served in the spotlight.

The spotlight →

Sources for this dossier

  1. 01Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame · David Robinson
  2. 02U.S. Navy (navyonline) · Notable USNA graduate: David Robinson — Civil Engineer Corps, Kings Bay
  3. 03NBA.com · Legends profile: David Robinson

Anything marked [verify] has not yet been confirmed against a primary source. Full ledger on the Scholars page.