Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 1990s All-Decade Team

Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 1990s All-Decade Team – Alvin Robertson

All throughout the 1980s, the Bucks were recognized for their number of wing and perimeter stoppers, between the likes of Sidney Moncrief, Paul Pressey and so on. As one of the most productive and decorated defenders in the history of the NBA, Alvin Robertson made sure to keep that alive going into the 1990s.

The Bucks acquired Robertson via trade with the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Terry Cummings following the 1988-89 season, just as their reign of standing near the top of the East had run its course. Still, the Bucks remained competitive at the turn of the decade under head coach Del Harris, in no part due to Robertson’s ball hawking on defense.

After all, the former Razorback reigned supreme as the ‘Man of Steal’ as he led the league in amassing a remarkable 246 steals, which equates to 3 steals per game, for the 1990-91 season. That same year, Robertson went on to earn his fourth and final All-Star selection and continued his run on the All-Defensive Team throughout his three years in a Bucks uniform.

For all the talk of his sterling defensive services, though, Robertson was a very capable offensive contributor and is the author of one of the greatest playoff performances in Bucks history.

With their backs against the wall, standing 2-0 down in a first round series against the Chicago Bulls during the 1990 NBA Playoffs, Robertson put in a master class performance of 38 points on 21 shots, eight rebounds, seven assists to stave off elimination in what was a 119-112 win at the Bradley Center. That came with Michael Jordan coming two points shy of a 50-point game in his own right.

Robertson’s time in Milwaukee ended on the day of the league’s trade deadline midway through the 1992-93 season where he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Orlando Woolridge and he struggled to maintain his monstrous peak as a two-way contributor in his subsequent stops in Detroit and Toronto. Certainly, a troubling back injury had a lot to do with that.

Since he last played in the NBA in the 1995-96 season, Robertson’s life has since been mired with numerous legal issues and serious incidents of domestic violence off the court, some of which date back to his time in Milwaukee.

In his 273 appearances with the Bucks, Robertson averaged 12.7 points on .473/.314/.742 shooting splits, 5.3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.7 steals across 30.8 minutes per game.