Bill Robinzine
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 20, 1953 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died |
September 16, 1982 (aged 29) Kansas City, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Wendell Phillips Academy (Chicago, Illinois) |
| College | DePaul (1972–1975) |
| NBA draft | 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall |
| Selected by the Kansas City Kings | |
| Playing career | 1975–1982 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 52, 50, 54 |
| Career history | |
| 1975–1980 | Kansas City Kings |
| 1980 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1980–1981 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1981–1982 | Utah Jazz |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,541 (10.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,209 (6.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 560 (1.1 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
William Clintard Robinzine (January 20, 1953 – September 16, 1982) was an American professional basketball player.
Born in Chicago, Robinzine grew to be a 6' 7" forward from DePaul University. He played seven seasons (1975–1982) in the NBA, competing for the Kansas City Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz. He is perhaps best remembered for his inclusion in the highlight footage of Darryl Dawkins' backboard-shattering dunk at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium on November 13, 1979. Robinzine, who was under the basket at the time, fled while shielding his face in order to avoid falling glass, which inspired Dawkins to include the phrase "Robinzine Cryin'" when later creating a name for the dunk.
While not much of a scorer, Robinzine was known as a tough rebounder and one of the better defensive players in the league at the power forward position. He played for the Kings for five seasons, and then was released to make room for Reggie King.
In September 1982, Robinzine committed suicide in his car by carbon monoxide poisoning at a storage place in Kansas City, Missouri. He was not on any NBA team's roster at that time.
External links
- Career stats @ basketball-reference.com
- "Robinzine Found Dead" @ query.nytimes.com
- "THE MYSTERY OF THE LIFE AND DEATH OF AN ATHLETE" @ nytimes.com