90’s Breakdown Part II: Glenn Robinson
Hi everybody, waxandpax90’s here. I’ve always been fascinated with 90’s basketball and the variety of colorful personalities on display during that era. The game had so much… razzmatazz. As a 90’s basketball card collector I’ve enjoyed chasing cards of some of my favorite players. For me, those include legends such as Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant. They also include the unsung stars — your guys who possessed that verve and pop but maybe fell through the cracks as the years moved along. I wanted to start a blog to spotlight some of those guys, highlight their careers and show off some of their biggest cards if you wanted build your own player PC. Today we continue with Glenn Robinson.
Bio
The 90’s were stocked full of incredibly lethal wing scorers, from Jordan to Smitty to Glen Rice and Mitch Richmond. It’s very easy for bucket-getters to fade into time with a whimper. The Big Dog is no stranger to that obscurity despite being one of the most-hyped prospects we’ve seen enter the league.
Do any of you remember Michael Beasley? He had that historic freshman season where he averaged 26 and 12 and everyone thought “this guy is going to be an absolute monster.” Robinson is more or less the version of Beasley we all hoped he’d be. After averaging a robust 30 points and 11 boards a game during his junior season at Purdue, Glenn entered the NBA draft and was selected first overall. Keep in mind this is the same draft that produced Grant Hill and Jason Kidd, as well as Michigan’s very own Juwan Howard. Hill was coming off a decorated college career that included two NCAA championships and Kidd was considered by many to be the best point guard to enter the league since the 80’s. The fact that Milwaukee opted to snag Robinson and it wasn’t looked at as wild tells you all you need to know.
Before even stepping onto an NBA court, Robinson made waves as he held out for what ended up being the largest rookie contract in NBA history (and still is). While he reportedly wanted a 13-year, $100 million dollar contract, he “settled” for a 10-year, $68 million dollar deal that we won’t see passed any time soon due to the NBA’s implementation of a rookie-scale contract.
Once on the hardwood, Glenn really earned the moniker “Big Dog” over the next eight seasons. Whether it was alongside Vin Baker or Ray Allen, Robinson always got buckets. He averaged 21.1 points per game during his Milwaukee tenure, scoring more than 20 a game in seven of his eight campaigns. He was a two-time all-star in 2000 and 2001, and helped lead Milwaukee as far as the Eastern Conference Finals before his time with the Bucks came to a close. Among his best performances were a 45-point effort versus Golden State and a 44-point explosion against the then-Bullets.
During the 2002 offseason, Robinson was traded to the Hawks for a package headlined by Toni Kukoc. He would only play one season in with them before being shipped to Philadelphia, where he’d endure a relatively unremarkable season next to Allen Iverson. Injuries began to ravage his career, and he sat out most of the 2004–05 season before being picked up by San Antonio and closing his career with the 2005 NBA title. By that time, bad knees had completely taken over and he barely played in the Finals. But to close out the regular season he average 10 points per game, helping him become one of the rare players who never averaged less than 10 a game and played more than ten seasons.
When it was all said and done, Robinson was the second (now third) all-time leading scorer in Milwaukee history and is remembered by 90’s fans as a player who could get you twenty whenever he wanted to. Inside, outside, mid-range — it didn’t matter, he could do it.
Glenn Robinson’s Must-have 90’s Basketball Cards
Here are a few of the rookies you need to pick up:
- 1994–95 Topps Finest Refractor (#166 and #250)
- 1994–95 Topps Finest Rack Pack Test Refractor
- 1994–95 Skybox E-Motion N-Tense (1:18 packs, 10 player set)
- 1994–95 Fleer Ultra Jam City
Fortunately for Robinson collectors, he is in a lot of the big 90’s sets. Some of his biggest chase cards include:
- Flair Legacy Collection Parallels (1996–97–1999–00)
- Skybox E-X Credentials (1996–97 — 1999–00)
- Fleer Ultra Platinum Medallion (1996–97–1999–00)
- Fleer Metal Precious Metal Gems (1996–97–1998–99)
- Skybox Premium Star Rubies (1996–97–1999–00)
The Big Dog is also included in many of the unheralded 90’s sets that serious collectors chase constantly. Here are a few:
- 1998–99 Fleer Brilliants (Gold /99) and 24kt /24)
- 1998–99 Fleer Classic ’61 (/61)
- 1998 SPx Grand Finale (/50)
- 1999–00 Hoops Starting Five (/5)
His checklist has plenty of shiny refractors to chase:
- Topps Chrome refractors (1996–97–1999–00)
- Topps Finest refractors (1996–97 Gold Atomic, 1997–98 Silver Embossed /263, 1998–99 No-Protector Refractor, 1999–00 Gold /100)
While he’s no MJ in terms of inserts, he certainly has his fair share of rare hits:
- 1997–98 Stadium Club Triumvirate (Base, Illuminator, Luminescent)
- 1996–97 Skybox E-X 2000 A Cut Above (1:288 packs, 10 player set)
- 1998–99 Skybox Molten Metal Fusion and Fusion Titanium
Lastly, Robinson has a couple of big jersey cards and autographs to look for:
- 1997–98 Upper Deck Game Jersey (1:2500 packs, 22 player set)
- 1997–98–1999–00 Skybox Autographics
- 1997–98 Bowman’s Best Atomic Refractor Auto (1:5961 packs, 11 player set)
Collector’s Spotlight
If you’re interested in seeing an incredible Glenn Robinson PC, check out @derotter_cards on Instagram. He has many of the incredible cards listed here and then some!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSMfA_wMzLH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
