Portland Trail Blazers and UConn basketball legend Clifford Robinson has died at age 53

Inyoung Choi

Aug 29, 2020, 22:21 IST

Portland Trail Blazers and UConn basketball legend Clifford Robinson has died at age 53

Forward Clifford Robinson moves the ball during a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, on January 11, 1995. The Blazers won the game, 104-92.Otto Greule Jr / Stringer / Getty Images

Portland Trail Blazers and University of Connecticut basketball legend Clifford "Uncle Cliffy" Robinson passed away on Saturday.
As a student-athlete at UConn, Robinson led the Huskies to the 1988 NIT Championship.
Robinson started his NBA career as a power forward and center for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was chosen as an All-Star in 1994 and won the 1992-1993 Sixth Man of the Year Award before going on to play with the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets.

Portland Trail Blazers and University of Connecticut basketball legend Clifford "Uncle Cliffy" Robinson passed away on Saturday.

Saturday morning, Claudine Ewing, a reporter for WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, NY – Robinson's hometown– tweeted that the family of Cliff Robinson confirmed his death. The cause of his death remains unknown.

—Claudine Ewing (@ClaudineWgrz) August 29, 2020

Robinson began his career as a student-athlete at UConn in 1985. He led the program to win the NIT Championship in 1998. In 1999, he was named to the Huskies' all-century team and later entered the Huskies of Honor in 2007.

He started his 18-season career in the NBA as a second-round pick for the Portland Trail Blazers. As a power forward and center for the Trail Blazers, he was chosen as an All-Star in 1994 and won the 1992-1993 Sixth Man of the Year Award. He averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in a career that spanned 1,380 games.

In 2005, Robinson joined the New Jersey Nets before retiring in 2007.

Robinson's death sparked online condolences from his former team and other figures in the sports world.