Nate Robinson’s NBA career appears to have stalled (indefinitely), so the former dunk contest champion is trying his hand in a different league.
According to The Washington Post, the 32-year-old Robinson tried out with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, as he attempts to reinvent himself as an NFL cornerback.
Once upon a time, Robinson played corner at Washington, starting the final six games of his freshman season back in 2002. He then quit the sport to focus on basketball, which worked out pretty well. The 5-foot-9 Robinson became a fan favorite in the NBA, averaging 11 points per game over an 11-year pro career. He most recently played in two games for the New Orleans Pelicans in October 2015 but was cut on Oct. 29.
Robinson has often made know his desire to cross over into football. Via ESPN:
“I need to get a little stronger, a little faster,” Robinson told ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton in April. “Lifting weights and watching a lot of film. Work on my feet and my hands and how to press [as a cornerback]. Basic stuff. I catch on pretty fast. Just learn some of the drills they’d have me do and start practicing and get ready for it.
“The biggest challenge is probably all the haters, everybody counting me out, somebody not really giving me the opportunity. That’s what I think the biggest challenge will be, getting somebody to give me that chance. If somebody gives me that chance, I know they’ll fall in love with the fierce competitor that I am because I catch on quick. Once I do that, then the sky’s the limit. I don’t know. It seems like they wouldn’t want me to be the first one to do something like this. That’s a huge challenge.”
Robinson is obviously super athletic, having won three NBA dunk contests, and probably could have had a shot at the NFL if he had stuck with the sport during college, but this seems like a long shot. At 32, Robinson is already at an age where most NFL defensive backs are calling it quits, and his body must be pretty worn down from having played a decade in the NBA.
According to the Post, “it appears unlikely that the Seahawks will sign Robinson immediately, but the two sides will stay in touch.” If anyone would give Robinson a shot it figures to be the Seahawks. Robinson grew up in Seattle, attended Washington and remains a hero in the city. We’ll see if he next ends up across from Richard Sherman in the Legion of Boom.
