Who is Nate Robinson? NBA career earnings, slam dunk titles & sudden boxing

Former NBA star Nate Robinson is taking on Jake Paul in a boxing match as an undercard fight to Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.

If you’re a fan of Paul, you may not know much about Robinson aside from the fact he played in the NBA. But Robinson is more than just a former basketball player. After shining as a multi-sport athlete in high school, Robinson actually went to Washington on a football scholarship.

He wasn’t a scrub, either. He played in all 13 games in 2002, starting in the final six as a cornerback. During the season, he intercepted two passes and made 34 tackles. However, as a sophomore, Robinson opted for basketball and it turned out to be a good decision. He made All-Pac-10 first team in his sophomore season. He made All-Pac-10 first team again as a junior, and then opted to enter the NBA Draft.

In 2005, he was a first-round draft pick by the Suns, who then traded him to the Knicks on draft night. Robinson played for the Knicks until 2010, and eventually became a journeyman NBA player, despite playing well wherever he went.

Below, we’ll go into more detail about Robinson’s NBA career.

MORE: Everything to know about Jake Paul’s fight vs. Nate Robinson

Nate Robinson career earnings as an NBA player

• Nate Robinson career NBA earnings: $24,555,319

Nate Robinson earned over $24 million throughout his NBA career in salaries alone. He earned those salaries through eight different teams over the course of 11 seasons.

The full breakdown, courtesy of HoopsHype, is below:

Nate Robinson: Slam Dunk champion

At 5-foot-9, Nate Robinson became a notable NBA player because of his size. But he also made a name for himself in the league’s Slam Dunk contests. Robinson became the first-ever 3-time winner of the Slam Dunk contest, winning in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Interestingly enough, all three of his titles came as a member of the Knicks.

Speaking to NBA.com after winning his third title, he explained the key to winning.

“You’ve got to kind of figure out a dunk that nobody’s tried,” Robinson said of finding something new, or at least refurbished, to dazzle dunk devotees. “Or kind of like a tribute dunk, I guess or you know, a copycat dunk, you could say. But myself, I think, ‘What can get the kids out of their seats? What can get people’s attention?’ That’s what you’ve got to try to do.”

Robinson never gave a reason why, but he told NBA.com that he “retired” from the dunk contest after winning in 2010. 

Why did Nate Robinson go from basketball…