NBA legend David Robinson on amateurism: ‘Paying players? I think that’s a little strong’

While March Madness is going on, NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson is working with Reese’s before Final Four weekend for a bevy of events in San Antonio. Those events include the Reese’s NABC College All-Star Game and partnering with the Wounded Warrior Project to host a community event where over 200 Easter baskets will be distributed to veterans and their families. “The Admiral” sat down with SB Nation to discuss if the NCAA should pay players, his views on activism, the current makeup of the Spurs’ locker room, and why he was petty enough to drop 71 points on the Clippers in 1994 and deny Shaquille O’Neal a scoring title.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

First thing: In October, you and Tim Duncan came back to the Spurs and linked arms with other players. Can you explain why you did that?

DR: I appreciate the fact that the players understand their platform. I encourage guys to speak up if they are committed to a thing. Obviously, I’ve been outspoken about education for the last 25 years. I’ve put my money where my mouth is. I’ve tried to be a positive force for change. As long as the athletes take the time to get educated on what’s happening and they are willing to put their careers at risk for what they believe in, I’m all for that. I love these guys being active and engaged and Tim and I both wanted to stand with them. Not criticizing anything, whether it’s government or our police force but more encouraging the athletes to take a stand and use the platform for something positive.

Sixteen years or so ago, you started a school that mostly tends to kids of color and low-income kids in Texas, the Carver School. What was your motivation to start this project?

DR: When I was coming out of college [near] Washington D.C., drugs was a big issue. Murder in the city was a big issue. So, I got the chance to go to about 15 different high schools with the Police Athletic League. The program was the “Say No To Drugs” program. And I got the chance to talk to these kids whether they were in Maryland, or D.C., or northern Virginia. Being on the ground there and talking to these kids made me realize programs like this are great, but you have to give these kids tools to get out of their situations. When you are in the neighborhood and selling drugs are going to get you money in your pocket, that’s not a hard decision to make. Sell the drugs. Get the money. But I wanted to give them other options. So, we started schools down here in San Antonio. I wanted to get these kids college ready. That was my goal. That was 15 years ago or so and now we have 20 schools in San Antonio, almost 10,000 kids, we partnered with IDEA so we have 61 schools and almost 40,000 kids across Texas and we send every single child to college. We built our schools in the low-income area. We make them accessible to charter schools so you can’t pick and choose who can come. But we try and make it as easy as possible for those who need the opportunity. Our success rate has been ridiculous. Anybody can look it up.

The overseeing financial group sets aside 10 percent of profits for donations aimed to “make social change.” Where does that money really go?

DR: That money, so far, has gone toward a partnership with Hilton Corporation and to the “Admiral Hospitality Scholars.” We take 25 kids a year and we had bought two hotels in Houston and partnered with the University of Houston and hotel managers and we take inner city kids there and mentor them for a year through hospitality. We send them to different opportunities. Last year, we took them to Galveston, Texas, and showed them the back offices of a cruise ship to show what hospitality services look like on a cruise ship and the jobs and opportunities available. We took them to the Houston Astros baseball game and took them back behind the operations scene and the chefs cooked them a meal and showed them how to prepare for games. At the end of the year, we get them scholarships to Houston at the Hilton Hospitality School. We wanted to expose these kids to new futures. We light the path and show them how to get there.

Let’s talk about the college scene, then, for a second. There’s kids like DeAndre Ayton at Arizona who is heading into this year’s draft. Some folks see a lot of your game in his. I was wondering if you’ve watched him this year?

DR: I’ve watched him a couple of times. My son plays at Duke so I get the chance to see the Duke guys a lot more. Arizona, not as much. Obviously, he can put up some big numbers and that’s a strong factor for that team. I’ve heard people say that but I don’t know if I see the similarities. He’s super athletic. I can’t speak intelligently enough on what his skill set is around the game.

There’s a nice GIF of you that always circles the internet of a white woman photobombing you during a Texas-Kansas State game at the end of the second half. Have you ever seen this?

DR: [laughs] I have! I saw the lady! Somebody showed me that little clip when the lady popped up in front of my face. That was pretty funny.

Obviously this is a big year for college basketball. Should the NCAA pay its players?

DR: Paying players? I think that’s a little strong. I think that, certainly, the dialogue between the student-athlete and the NCAA is a little strained. Obviously, the student-athletes want to be taken care of. They want to have an opportunity to pursue their goals. The university, also, they want student-athletes. They want people who are coming to their universities to get an education. Seems like those two parties would be excited to get together. But, we’ve seen all of this through the investigations these challenges. How do we change the dialogue in this type of thing? That’s the challenge, I think, going forward.

For me, being in college was one of the best things that could’ve happened to me. The NCAA tournament gave me a platform to show people what I could do and it allowed me to have an NBA career for 14 years. I, personally, see the benefit of being in college and the benefit of being a part of a university like the Naval Academy. It’s an interesting challenge right now to change the dialogue between the student athletes and NCAA.

This is going to be one of the first seasons in 20 or so years that the Spurs might not make the playoffs. Does that worry you as somebody that came from a period of dominance for the franchise?

DR: No. Everything is all cycles. We are in the playoff hunt right now. We have some great young players. Every team has to deal with this stuff. The year I got hurt, we didn’t make the playoffs that year. We had a horrible year but we ended up getting Tim Duncan and it gave us another chance to make another long run. This year, we’ve been without Kawhi (Leonard), who is one of the best players in the NBA. He makes a huge difference. We played without him.

Our young guys are battling, they are doing a phenomenal job. Hopefully we get him back healthy at some point and then it puts us back on track. LaMarcus Aldridge is playing well. We have a good core for this team. It’s a part of sports. We just happen to not be in our usual fine-running condition this year. Hopefully, we will be able to re-group.

You were asked on ESPN recently about the lack of vocal leadership in the locker room. Do you think there’s a culture problem happening? It seems as if the public is missing a piece of what usually makes this Spurs thing run smoothly.

DR: There’s definitely a transition challenge. No question. You definitely don’t lose a guy like Tim Duncan, who is a phenomenal leader and all-time great player, and not feel a vacuum in your locker room. It’s a challenge. Your young guys, your Kawhi Leonards, your LaMarcus Aldridges, how do they step into Tim Duncan’s shoes? They don’t know. They’re just trying to figure it out. I think that’s the challenge for our team right now. How do those guys become the leaders the rest of our locker room really needs? LaMarcus Aldridge is playing really well for us this year. He’s done a phenomenal job for us. But, clearly, we are not there yet. We have to get Kawhi back on the floor. We gotta get more leadership. That’s the most clear challenge with our team right now.

You once famously denied Shaquille O’Neal the opportunity of a scoring title in a meaningless game in 1994 against the Clippers where you had 71 points. That was the high point of a long beef between you and Shaq. Why did you do that?

DR: [laughs] That is a funny question! Why did I try and get the scoring title? Is that what you are asking me?

Yeah.

DR: [laughs]

You didn’t have to drop 71 points.

DR: [laughs] Why was I trying to deny Shaq? [laughs]

Yeah, man.

DR: That’s one way to look at it. I was trying to do the best I could. I don’t know. What answer should I give you for that?

I don’t know. I’m just saying: It seemed real petty. It seemed real petty. I don’t know, man.

DR: [laughs] Let’s just say I was trying to do the best I could and I was trying to get the scoring title instead. Is that a good answer?

It is.

The Reese’s NABC College All-Star Game airs LIVE on CBS Sports Network on Friday, March 30. The game tips off at 4:35 p.m. ET.