Oscar Robertson Biography

Fast Facts

• When he retired from the NBA, he was the all-time leader in triple-double games and had collected more career rebounds than any guard in the sport's history
• His NBA record of 9․887 career assists stood for 17 seasons
• Was inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980
• Was the fifth African-American to play basketball at the University of Cincinnati
• Learned to shoot by tossing tennis balls and rags bound with rubber bands into a peach basket behind his family's house
• Started playing basketball on dirt courts against his two older brothers when he was 6 years old
• Led the Crispus Attucks High School basketball team to a state championship win, marking the first time an all-African-American team had claimed the state title
• Considered one of the greatest guards in NBA history, he played for the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks
• Retired from the NBA as the league's all-time assist leader
• After retiring from the NBA, he worked to improve living conditions for African Americans in Indianapolis by helping build affordable housing