Skip to main content

Man Of Steal


There have only been 4 players who have ever recorded a quadruple double (Double digits in 4 categories). Hall Of Famers David Robinson, Nate Thurmond, Hakeem Olajuwon (twice) all recorded quadruple doubles in points, rebounds, assists and blocks. The 4th member of that esteemed list is Alvin Robertson. Unlike the other three, Robertson was a guard, and recorded his quadruple double in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He did not make the Basketball Hall Of Fame and his achievements have been forgotten by most NBA fans.
Alvin Robertson was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 7th pick in 1984 and would go on to play 10 seasons in the NBA, 5 with the Spurs, 3 with the Milwaukee Bucks, and 1 each with the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors. In only his 2nd season in the league, he recorded 301 steals (3.7 per game), a record that still stands to this day. He would lead the league in steals two more times in his career and retired with an average of 2.7 steals per game, an NBA record. Excluding his rookie season, Robertson never finished outside the top 5 in steals per game, showcasing his ability to consistently record steals.
However, Robertson wasn’t just a one-trick pony. He averaged 14 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5 assists per game for his career, making 4 All-Star games. He also made 6 All-Defensive teams, 1 All-NBA team and won the Defensive Player Of the Year Award and the Most Improved Player in 1986.

On the 18th of February 1986, Alvin Robertson played himself into the history books. He recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 assists, becoming the only guard to record a quadruple double, ensuring that his name will always have a place in NBA lore.

Comments

  1. I absolutely love how you celebrate the less-celebrated greats!! Keep them coming, brother.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gone Too Soon: The Story Of Dražen Petrović

In the 1989-90 season, the Portland Trail Blazers bought out Dražen Petrović’s contract with Real Madrid and convinced him to join the NBA. This would mark the start of a trailblazing career that was tragically cut short.        Dražen Petrović was born in Šibenik, Croatia on the 22 nd of October, 1964. At the age of 15, he was already in the first team of his hometown club, and by the age of 18, Petrović had blossomed into a star for Šibenik. After serving in the military for a year, he moved to Cibona in 1984, where he would play till 1988. At Cibona, Petrović shined. He once scored 112 points in a Yugoslavian League game ( 40/60 FG, 10/20 3Pts, 22/22 FT), which is possibly the most efficient performance in any European league ever. He averaged 37.7 points in the Yugoslavian first division and 33.8 points in European competitions in his 4 years at Cibona, cementing his status as a European star. In 1988, at the age of 23, he moved to Real Madrid, where he stayed ...

Statistics to Help the Spurs

Every sports fan, diehard or casual, has watched Moneyball, the movie about the use of statistics in baseball. While sports has become more receptive to the use of statistics to identify players, many fans still do not like to use or misuse statistics to back up their opinions. As an avid NBA fan, I too love to concoct fictitious trades to help make my team better. Through the use of statistics, I am going to try to make well informed decisions regarding player acquisitions for the San Antonio Spurs, my favourite NBA team. To tackle this problem, I used a linear regression model. To create the model, I first collected box score data for the Spurs’ 2019-20 season. This data was then used to create a model that will give a composite score, which predicts a team’s record. According to the model, a score closer to 1 indicates a better record, while a score closer to 0 indicates a worse record. Using Basketball Reference, I identified 8 players who the Spurs could feasibly acquire and who...

Sweet Shot

Most basketball fans are aware about the vast majority of NBA players, even if only in passing. The global reach of the NBA ensures that fans from all around the world are aware of players and their exploits. However, a lot of college basketball players who do not make it to the NBA are not given their due. This occurs because of the regional nature of college basketball, and this leads to some college legends not getting their fair share of plaudits. One such player is Melvin McLaughlin. Nicknamed ‘Sugar’ for his sweet shooting skills, McLaughlin was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and spent his high school years scoring at will for the Creston High School Polar Bears, averaging over 33 points per game in his junior and senior seasons. After a decorated high school career, McLaughlin attended Central Michigan University, where he would go on to form his legend. At Central Michgan, McLaughlin broke out in his sophomore year, averaging 20.8 points per game and being named to the Firs...