Duncan Robinson has had a career that has taken a young kid from Maine to the highest peaks and of the basketball world. However, to get to those peaks Robinson had to climb the unforgiving ranks of competitive basketball.
The exposure to great competition began early, when Robinson enrolled at Governors Academy, a local Boston school who has enjoyed a great deal of winning on the athletic fields in the past two decades.
The only problem for Robinson was being a big fish in a small sea, playing in the Independent School League the academy only played 16 other small preparatory teams in the New England area, making recruiting a bit difficult.
Duncan Robinson's journey is incredible.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 2, 2021
He didn't have any D1 offers in HS, so he did a postgrad year, attended DIII Williams College, and eventually transferred to Michigan.
He went undrafted & spent time in the G-League.
But now, he's signed a $90M deal with the Miami Heat. pic.twitter.com/3bihYBTDYD
From the halls of preparatory school Robinson then moved on the to a division three powerhouse in the form of Williams College.
Being ranked number three coming into the year, Williams College had reason to be excited. Robinson led Williams to the Division-III championship game which they lost 75-73 to Wisconsin-Whitewater.
I have always wondered if transfer-haters think Duncan Robinson should have stuck it out at Williams College.
— Ken Pomeroy (@kenpomeroy) March 25, 2018
Following a heartbreaking loss, Robinson was now getting calls from around the country after being named a Division III All American. After finally being a big fish in a small sea for years, Robinson stepped into the Big Ten to play for the Michigan Wolverines.
Robinson went on to play three seasons for Michigan, earning sixth man of the year honors in 2018. Robinson even took part in another championship game, but yet again his team would fall short when Michigan could not take down Villanova in 2017-18.
Though never being a superstar in the eyes of the nation, Michigan fans knew exactly how good Robinson is. Unfortunately for Robinson, NBA scouts also had their doubts.
Duncan Robinson sent this text to @clubtrillion in 2017.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 28, 2020
The Michigan senior was interested in sports media because he thought his basketball career was coming to an end.
Three years later he’s in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/R4ezPy5Zwg
After graduating from Michigan and going undrafted, Robinson got the chance to play in the NBA-Development League. From the land of a thousand lakes, Robinson packed up and expected to play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce on a two-way contract with the Miami Heat.
However, Robinson got an opportunity to start the year with Miami due to injuries and never looked back. Making his debut on October 24, 2018 Robinson started a career that has now flourished into three strong NBA years.
.@nbagleague ▶ Eastern Conference Finals@D_Bo20 shot 48% from 3PT in his 33 G League starts! Watch his best highlights with the Skyforce before he laces up for Game 3 tonight at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/Eww9sfXbj4
— NBA (@NBA) September 19, 2020
Robinson has overcome ever hurdle in his basketball career, except one.
Again in 2020 Robinson got to play for a championship, starting all six games against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Finals. With the determination of this young player, it may only be a few years before Robinson finally gets over that hurdle as well.
