Ex-UConn star, top NBA sixth man Cliff Robinson dies at 53

Cliff Robinson, an early star in UConn’s rise to power and longtime top sixth man in NBA, died Saturday. He was 53.

Robinson's death was confirmed by UConn. cause of death was given, though former Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said Robinson had a stroke 2 1/2 years ago.

“It’s really sad to hear of this, because he was one of my kids, my players, a guy I watched grow into a man," Calhoun said. "It’s t an easy thing.”

Nicknamed Uncle Cliffy, Robinson played 18 seasons in NBA and helped Portland Trail Blazers reach two NBA Finals.

Clifford Robinson was born on Dec. 16, 1966, in Buffalo, New York. He was centerpiece of Calhoun’s early teams at UConn. He played in Storrs from 1985-89, helping guide Huskies from bottom of Big East to 1988 NIT championship.

“He was our first great player,” Calhoun said. “He gave legitimacy to program.

“As a player coming in, here’s this guy playing on TV for Trail Blazers, watching him play, watching UConn being mentioned. You could t pay for exposure that he gave us.”

Robinson was NBA’s Sixth Man of Year in 1993 and made his lone All-Star appearance following year. At 6-foot-11, he had size of a center but was a skilled outside shooter, a predecessor of modern NBA big man.

He played 1,380 games in league, ranking in top 15 all-time. Besides Blazers, Robinson also played for Phoenix, Detroit, Golden State and Nets.

(Im Credit: AP)