Former Trail Blazers star Cliff Robinson dies at 53

ZONAUTARA.COM – Claudine Ewing of WGRZ-TV in Buffalo tweeted Saturday morning that the family of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Cliff Robinson has died at the age of 53. The stadium released a statement announcing he had died after a years-long battle with lymphoma. 

The cause of death was not given, but a WGRZ reporter said the family had confirmed the death. Robinson has had several health problems recently and his cause of death is not known. 

Heather Lufkins, whom he married in September 2013, and their son Isaiah Robinson, who also plays basketball, were living in Portland, Oregon, at the time of his death.

He was twice named to the NBA‘s All-Defensive Second Team and played for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans. He retired after the 2006-07 season but continued to play in the remaining years of his career. Robinson was in and out of the NBA during his career, spending time with the Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic before calling it a career after the 2005-06 season. In his final season in Orlando, he played in a playoff game against the Miami Heat at Staples Center. 

Cliff Robinson was named an All-Star in 1994 and averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 1,380 career games. (NBA.com)

Cliff Robinson was also a member of the All-NBA First Team, the NBA’s second-best scoring team behind only Dirk Nowitzki. He was one of only three players in NBA history with two 600-point seasons and became the first player since James Gordon in 1996 (97) and Kevin Garnett in 1997 (98) to have two over 600-point seasons. 

During his four years in college, Robinson averaged 15 points per game and helped lead UConn to the 1988 NIT title. He won the award for the sixth man of the year after averaging 19.1 points (6.6) in the 1992-93 season and 16.5 points (16.5) in the 1994-95 season.

Cliff Robinson led UConn from the bottom and nearly helped the Portland Trail Blazers take the lead, leading them to the NIT title in his final season as a member of the Huskies in 1994-95. Cliff Robinson leads Connecticut from the bottom, but he nearly helped the Oregon State Cougars to a national championship and led them over the top. 

Robinson, who later became a marijuana advocate during his NBA career, played 18 years in the NBA, starting with Portland, where he played from 1989-90 to 1991-92. Robinson, affectionately known as “Uncle Cliffy,” was a key member of the Blazers teams that reached the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals. 

The UConn Basketball family mourns the loss of a legendary player and person, Clifford Robinson. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cliff’s family at this difficult time 🙏

Rest In Peace, Cliff. pic.twitter.com/Bp6Z5hbVUb

— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) August 29, 2020

In 1,380 NBA games, “Uncle Cliff” scored 19,591 points, ranking 54th on the all-time list, according to the basketball reference. 

Robinson averaged just 5.6 points as a freshman, but scored 20 per game in his second season before becoming the Blazers’ second-round pick. He scored over 20 points per game as an unrestricted free agent in the 1996 NBA Draft and averaged just 4.5 points and 6.0 rebounds when he became the third-team All-NBA selection. Robinson averaged just 5-6 points in each of his first and second league seasons, scoring 20 or more points in both games before being selected as the second-round pick by the Portland Trailblazers in 1996 and 1997, the basketball reference player said. As a freshman, he averaged just 5-6 points, scored 30-40 in the first two games, averaged just 3-4 points in a three-game series against the New York Knicks and averaged 5-6 in three games against New Jersey, then scored 40 or less in four of the next five games. 

Robinson averaged just 5-6 points as a freshman, but he scored 20 per game in his second season before becoming the Blazers’ second-round pick. Robinson averaged just 5-6 points, 5.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in his first and second league seasons and scored 20 or more points in both games before being selected as a second-round pick by the Portland Trailblazers in 1996 and 1997, the basketball reference player said. As a freshman, he averaged just 5.6 points, scored 30-40 in his first two games and averaged 3-4 in three games against the New York Knicks, then scored 40 or fewer points in four of five games in a three-game series against New Jersey. 

Robinson averaged just 5-6 points as a freshman, but scored 20 per game in his second season before being selected as the Blazers’ second-round pick. Robinson averaged just 5-6 points, 5.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in his first and second league seasons, scoring 30-40 in two games and 40-50 in three games in a three-game series against New Jersey, then scoring 40 or more points in four of his five games against the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft. As a freshman, he averaged just 5.6 points, and he scored 20-plus in all but one game during his second season before becoming a second and third-year player with the Portland Trailblazers in 1996-1997