David RobinsonDavid Robinson is often considered one of the greatest centers to ever play basketball. He was born on August 6, 1965 to Ambrose and Freda Robinson. As a student he excelled in all his classes and sports except basketball. By his senior year of high school he stood at a staggering 6 feet 7 inches tall, but he had never played organized basketball. However, his high school basketball coach noticed Robinson and added him to the team without ever testing him. Robinson soon earned all-area and all-district honors, but not the attention of any college basketball coach. But that didn't matter to him, as basketball wasn't his first priority. Getting an education and becoming a student at the United States Naval Academy were his main concerns. After scoring a 1320 on the SAT, his goal of joining the Naval Academy was soon achieved (Lewis, 16). David Robinson majored in mathematics and excelled in all of his classes at the United States Naval Academy. He was an outstanding all-around athlete and chess player. He was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate fraternity for African American men. He soon chose to try out for the United States Naval Academy basketball team. By the time he played his first collegiate basketball game, he had grown to 6 feet 9 inches, and over the course of his college career he grew to 7 feet 1 inches. In David Robinson's final two years, he was a consensus All-American and won college basketball's two most prestigious player awards, the Naismith and Wooden Awards (Lewis, 30). When he left the academy he was considered by many to be the best basketball player in the history of the United States Naval Academy! He holds the record for most blocks in a single season in college basketball...... middle of paper......l athlete (Basketball.com). In recognition of his outstanding charitable contributions, in March 2003, the NBA renamed its Award for Outstanding Charitable Efforts in Robinson's honor. Winners of the NBA's Community Assist Award receive the David Robinson plaque, reading "Following the standard set by NBA legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece." The award is given monthly by the league to recognize players for their charitable efforts (NBA.com). Works Cited Lewis, Gregg, and Deborah Lewis. David Robinson. New York: ZonderKidz, 2002. 4-107. "David Robinson". NBA.Com. 2003. National Basketball Association. April 2008. "Men's College Basketball Almanac." Basketball.Com. 2002.NBA. April. 2008 .