Nate Robinson: ‘I’m One of the Greatest Short Guys to Ever Play the Game’

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Nate Robinson is many things: an NBA veteran, a three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, the donkey to Glen “Big Baby” Davis’ Shrek. Someday soon, Robinson still believes he’ll be one more thing: an NFL player.

But that day isn’t today. Today, Robinson plays hoops for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel, where he’s averaging 15.5 points, 3.8 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game through a half-dozen contests, carrying his club to the playoffs.

The diminutive Robinson (5’9″) is the biggest baller to crash Europe since Allen Iverson played in Turkey in 2010. He’s putting on an incredible show, draining Steph Curry-esque half-court shots, splashing buzzer-beaters, dishing game-winning dimes and more.

“I’m not out here for money. I came to Israel to be with Tre Simmons and win a championship. I can’t believe he’s not in the NBA. I’ve seen him destroy NBA players,” Robinson told Bleacher Report in a note of praise for his former Washington Huskies teammate, who he is now reunited with as his backcourt partner in Tel Aviv.

“I know I can be in the NBA. That’s not even a question. The NBA is all politics. It’s about who you know.”

Robinson believes he can still dominate in the NBA, but he’s more enthusiastic about his NFL dreams. He flashes a diamond-encrusted Seattle Seahawks necklace. Bleacher Report sat down with the decadelong NBA veteran for an exclusive interview on Black Mamba, Steph Curry, Kanye and life as an undersized baller.

 

Bleacher Report: Your last game in Israel was crazy. Riots in the stands, rival fans cursing and spitting. You also flipped the finger. Had you ever experienced such a hostile environment before?

Nate Robinson: Fans in America are too swag. They’re chill. They want to enjoy the show, but out here, the show is the fans. I love it. It’s trash talk. It’s crazy. One fan yelled out he wanted to kill me. “F you, Nate Robinson. I kill you, Nate Robinson.” I said, “What happened to kicking my ass first?” But he went straight to kill. It’s ridiculous.

Spitting on people is a whole ‘nother thing. That’s degrading. I was telling my teammates that when I played football, we went to Oregon, and they were spitting on us, calling us names and all that. When we won the Apple Cup against Washington State, they did the same thing but also threw beer bottles on the field. But fans say the craziest things, but it’s cool. We have the best fans in the world.

 

B/R: Are you rooting for a team to win the NBA championship? Perhaps one you’ve played for: OKC, Boston, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers?

NR: I want Boston to go all the way because Isaiah Thomas is my guy, and I know how hard he worked to get to where he is. Him and Avery Bradley together, hopefully they can wiggle out the East, but it’ll be tough with LeBron James. Hopefully the San Antonio Spurs win it all so Tim Duncan can retire and get his Kobe Bryant day.

 

B/R: Kobe’s NBA finale was “Mamba Day.” What would you call Tim Duncan’s NBA exit?

NR: He is The Big Fundamental. It should be Big Fundamental Day. Kids should be out there doing all the basics, shooting stuff off the backboard, dressing real proper, something casual. Tim Duncan is the classic man. They’d have to play the “Classic Man” song for him.

 

B/R: What doesn’t the NBA understand about Nate Robinson?

NR: It’s just like Allen Iverson said: I’mma go out doing it my way. I’m not trying to be somebody that I’m not. That is my downfall. I couldn’t adapt to being somebody that I wasn’t. That’s the reason why I’ve been on different teams. I refused to be what coaches want me to be because I know I’m so much greater.

 

B/R: Which little guys from the NBA’s past inspired you growing up?

NR: There were a lot. Allen Iverson. I used to watch Robert Pack. He was a little dude dunking on people, but he isn’t that little.

 

B/R: Do you think of yourself as the NBA’s greatest scorer ever who measured under 6 feet?

NR: I know I’m filthy. I’m one of the greatest short guys to ever play the game. It doesn’t show because of how most coaches used me, but if I was a player who knew he got 25-30 minutes a game or start…please. I’d be one of the greatest. I was labeled going into the league, went to a dysfunctional team in the New York Knicks, but it was fun. I had a blast. Wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

B/R: Who is the worst coach you’ve played under?

NR: Mike D’Antoni was a cool coach, but he was just a bad person. He can coach. He was just mean for no reason. He had no reason to be a certain way toward players he liked and didn’t like. As a man, you would talk to somebody if you had a problem with them. You …

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