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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

By Hans Themistode

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs. PAUL BUCK/AFP via Getty Images /

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 13. David Robinson

David Robinson looked exactly the way you would expect an NBA superstar to look. He towered over the competition standing at 7’1. He also weighed a trim 235 pounds when he was in his athletic prime. In terms of workout warriors, Robinson was all of that and more. For eight seasons, Robinson did his very best to lead the San Antonio Spurs to an NBA title. But, no matter how hard he tried and regardless of his nightly gaudy numbers, Robinson was never able to lead them over the championship hump.

It wasn’t until Tim Duncan made his way to the franchise in 1998, where they began enjoying success on another level. The days of Robinson averaging nearly 30 points per game were long gone but he was still a valuable contributor to the Spurs while playing as the primary sidekick to Duncan.

Outside of his final season where he averaged a below-average 8.5 points per game, Robinson dropped 16.3 points per game, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. In three of their shared seasons together, Robinson was selected to the All-Star Game. More importantly, the Spurs took home two NBA titles. Granted, Duncan was the biggest contributor to those championship squads but Robinson played a huge role as well.