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I wrote the following column a week after Robinson’s enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but I delayed a bit in posting it. I couldn’t let this moment pass completely without me writing up a straight-from-the-heart tribute to my favorite athlete of all-time.

I remember hanging around the Armada Flea Market with a cousin of mine when I opened, well to my memory, one of my first packs of basketball cards.

My mom gave me some money and I walked around and picked up some packs of NBA Hoops from one of the vendors. My mother was also a vendor that day, my parents used to sell antiques at those shows during the early 90’s.

The packs were the 1990-91 series and my older cousin was looking through the cards I had and telling me which ones were good, since I had no idea. He came across a David Robinson card and told me that was a good one. We then got a Beckett Price Guide, and I found out the card was worth a dollar.

When he told me the card was worth a dollar, I wanted to walk back over to the vendor and give him the card for another pack, or at least get some candy with it.  I didn’t understand my cards were not a valid form of currency.

That was the moment that I deemed Robinson my favorite player, and from then on it stuck.

It’s been more than 19 years since that moment and Robinson is still my favorite player of all-time, and one of my heroes.

Beyond the card is Robinson the player.

A newly enshrined member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a 10-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Champion, a former Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and MVP. He also won gold medals as part of the first two Dream Teams. The list of his accomplishments on the court could go on forever.

Robinson was 7’1” and could run a fast break like the team’s shooting guard. He filled up a box score like nobody else during his playing days, except for Hakeem Olajuwon, ultimately his biggest rival on the court. He was built like no other player in the league, a genetic freak to say the least. When you think about an NBA player who was “in shape,” you thought about “The Admiral.”

While leading the USA to a gold medal in the ’96 Olympics, playing with a hernia., his back problems continued into the regular season. After returning from his back injury Robinson broke his foot, he only played six games during the ‘96-‘97 season. With Robinson on the shelf the Spurs were an awful 20-62, but in turn the Spurs won the right to draft Tim Duncan in 1997.

You never want to call an injury great, but that one was, with perfect timing too.

The Spurs added the number one player out of college to their roster, and got a healthy Robinson back as well.

For nearly a decade Robinson had to carry the load for the Spurs, and he always kept them in contention. He never had another great player on his side, with all due respect to players like Dennis Rodman, Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson and others. Those players were not number two guys–they were role players.

As great as Duncan has become, he would not nearly be as successful as he has been if it weren’t for Robinson. “The Admiral” helped Duncan not only grow and mature into one of the best players the league has ever seen, but also made sure that Duncan never left San Antonio, he nearly signed with Orlando back in 2000.

Together Robinson and Duncan won two titles and helped San Antonio become the best team of the last decade, winning four titles since 1999 (yeah, the Lakers have four now too, but they also had to rebuild).

Robinson was a great player, one of the greatest, but he’s an even better person.

In this internet and media driven age of sports, we cannot go two days without hearing negative news about an athlete. Whether it’s a gun charge, a DUI, drugs, a suspended license or some other crime. These stories make headlines on the regular.

Not Robinson.

Never.

He is the definition of class. The league renamed their community assist award in Robinson’s honor.

In 1991 he visited a San Antonio elementary school and challenged the fifth graders to graduate, offering them $2,000 each in scholarship money. Seven years later, Robinson decided to give them all $8,000 scholarships instead.

He’s given more than $11 million to his private school, The Carver Academy, a culturally diverse school where students attend on scholarships and are given a broad and cultured education. Robinson and his wife Vivian, have invested so much time, money and energy into this truly remarkable cause.

…Seriously, who opens their own school?

The man is truly in his own lane, an inspiration to us all.

He teaches the lesson that there is more to life than individual success, money and fame. It has never been about that to Robinson. It’s been about loyalty, respect, integrity, faith and giving back.

Of the near 200 Detroit Pistons’ games I have been to in my life, I had never made it to a game to see Robinson play against the Pistons in person. I don’t know how to explain how that happened, but I’ll assume it had something to do with the Spurs only visiting Detroit once a year.

That all changed in 2003.

My brother gave me tickets to see the Spurs play an April game against the Pistons, in what would be Robinson’s last game in Detroit. The tickets were front row, behind the Spurs’ bench, and this was literally a moment I had waited years for. I was finally going to see my favorite player in person.

As it turns out Robinson was resting his knee that game and did not play. Luckily he traveled with the team and was on the bench. Towards the end of the game, after a timeout, I yelled, “David!” When looked at me, I gave him a salute and shouted “Thank You!”

I get emotional when I think about that moment. I never got to see him play in person, but I had the chance to tell him “Thank you.” I hope he knew how much I meant it and how much of an impact he has had on me.

Robinson probably doesn’t remember the moment, and that’s okay, I know that I got to salute my hero before he went out as a champion and ended his illustrious career.

I could go on forever about the impact that “The Admiral” has had on me. The lessons that I’ve learned from watching how he has conducted himself, and the values that I have gained from watching and rooting for him for most of my life.

As a fan of Robinson’s for nearly 20 years, I couldn’t let his Hall of Fame moment pass without explaining why Robinson is an icon to me and why he will always be my favorite player, more importantly a person whom I truly admire.

Over the past few weeks you may have heard many people say, “There will never be another Jordan.” As true as that statement is, you’ll be more likely to find another Michael Jordan before you ever find another David Robinson.