At some point in our lives, we naturally have felt the pressure of being compared to our dads. It does not matter if you are an athlete, a banker, a landscaper, etc. Most of us are fortunate enough to not have those comparisons play out on a national stage, but Glenn Robinson III certainly had that chance with the Michigan Wolverines in 2014.
His father, “Big Dog” Glenn Robinson, is a Purdue legend and won the Wooden Award in 1994. “GR3” came to Michigan as a five-star prospect and was part of the team that went to the national title game in 2013. His role expanded even more in 2014 and many expected him to be a lottery pick-type of talent, but his sophomore season had been a roller coaster of sorts. Despite all of that, on a late February night in West Lafayette down one point in overtime with his father in attendance, GR3 wanted the ball.
It took a brave cross-court pass that nearly did not get there from Caris LeVert, but Robinson grabbed it, put the ball on the floor and went off the glass for the game-winning shot to walk things off at his father’s alma mater.
Robinson would average 13.1 points per game in his sophomore season and was a key cog on a team that would make a run to the Elite Eight in 2014 before losing to Kentucky. He declared for the 2014 NBA Draft and came off the board in the second round with the No. 40 overall pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Since then, Robinson has spent time as a bit of a journeyman with stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors. Perhaps the highlight of his NBA career to this point was winning the 2017 NBA Slam Dunk Contest in a field that also included Derrick Jones Jr. of the Phoenix Suns, DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers and Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic.