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Player profile · CLE / KCK / LAL / NJN / PHI / WSB
Cliff Robinson
Cliff Robinson stats, teams and career impact
#734 all-timeCareer averages · 17.2 PPG · 8.3 RPG · 2.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) · 220 lb (100 kg)
- Born
- March 13, 1960 (66 yrs old)
- College
- USC
- NBA seasons
- 11 seasons · 1979–80 to 1991–92
Career summaryCliff Robinson was a power forward who played 11 NBA seasons, from 1979–80 through 1991–92.
- Career PPG
- 17.2
- Career RPG
- 8.3
- Career APG
- 2.0
- #35 in 1985–86
- #734 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Cliff Robinson ranks #734 all time
Cliff Robinson ranks #734 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #59.7. His full-career value ranks #558, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
629 games · Career Value Rank #558
Head to head
Compare Cliff Robinson with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Cliff Robinson vs. John Salley Similar career path
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- Cliff Robinson vs. Joe Ingles Similar career path
- Cliff Robinson vs. Jerami Grant Similar career path
- Cliff Robinson vs. Emeka Okafor Similar career path
- Cliff Robinson vs. Lonnie Shelton Similar career path
- Cliff Robinson vs. Mike Woodson Same-era comparison
- Cliff Robinson vs. Darrell Griffith Same-era comparison
- Cliff Robinson vs. Kelly Tripucka Same-era comparison
- Cliff Robinson vs. Darnell Valentine Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Kansas City Kings, Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 46.8%FG%
- Three-point
- 18.4%3P%
- Free throw
- 72.2%FT%
629 career games · 19,284 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Cliff Robinson stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1991–92 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.0 | -6.79 | LAL | 9 | 0 | 8.7 | 40.7% | 0.0% | 87.5% | — | -7.2 |
| 1988–89 | 15.1 | 5.4 | 2.3 | -2.88 | PHI | 14 | 13 | 29.7 | 48.1% | 0.0% | 72.7% | — | -7.5 |
| 1987–88 | 19.0 | 6.5 | 2.1 | -1.76 | PHI | 62 | 51 | 34.0 | 46.4% | 22.2% | 71.7% | #172 | 10.0 |
| 1986–87 | 14.8 | 5.6 | 1.6 | -1.50 | PHI | 55 | 30 | 28.8 | 46.4% | 0.0% | 75.5% | #156 | 15.9 |
| 1985–86 | 18.7 | 8.7 | 2.4 | +1.85 | WSB | 78 | 78 | 32.9 | 47.4% | 25.0% | 76.2% | #35 | 203.9 |
| 1984–85 | 16.7 | 9.1 | 2.5 | +0.49 | WSB | 60 | 37 | 31.2 | 47.1% | 33.3% | 74.2% | #77 | 97.5 |
| 1983–84 | 17.8 | 10.3 | 2.5 | +0.22 | CLE | 73 | 70 | 32.9 | 45.0% | 50.0% | 70.1% | #85 | 108.0 |
| 1982–83 | 18.0 | 11.1 | 1.9 | +0.11 | CLE | 77 | 75 | 33.8 | 47.7% | 0.0% | 70.8% | #97 | 111.7 |
| 1981–82 | 18.5 | 9.0 | 1.8 | +0.75 | CLE/KCK | 68 | 59 | 32.0 | 45.3% | 0.0% | 70.9% | #67 | 125.7 |
| 1980–81 | 19.5 | 7.6 | 1.7 | -0.24 | NJN | 63 | 0 | 28.9 | 49.1% | 100.0% | 71.8% | #112 | 70.1 |
| 1979–80 | 13.6 | 7.2 | 1.4 | +0.06 | NJN | 70 | 0 | 23.7 | 46.9% | 25.0% | 69.4% | #94 | 75.8 |
| Career | 17.2 | 8.3 | 2.0 | — | CLE/KCK/LAL/NJN/PHI/WSB | 629 | — | 30.7 | 46.8% | 18.4% | 72.2% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
74.3 composite · lower is better
71.6 average league finish
804 total value
Career standing
How Cliff Robinson ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score74.3
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 255.0
- Qualified seasons
- 9
- All-time rank
- #734
Strongest seasons
Every season
Cliff Robinson advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 31 | 9 | 78 | -6.79 | — | — | -7.2 | — | Limited |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 28 | 14 | 416 | -2.88 | — | — | -7.5 | — | Limited |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 27 | 62 | 2,110 | -1.76 | 31.6 | #172 | 10.0 | 33rd | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 26 | 55 | 1,586 | -1.50 | 39.5 | #156 | 15.9 | 40th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 25 | 78 | 2,563 | +1.85 | 86.6 | #35 | 203.9 | 89th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 24 | 60 | 1,870 | +0.49 | 70.0 | #77 | 97.5 | 66th | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | CLE | 23 | 73 | 2,402 | +0.22 | 66.1 | #85 | 108.0 | 70th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | CLE | 22 | 77 | 2,601 | +0.11 | 62.1 | #97 | 111.7 | 72nd | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | CLE/KCK | 21 | 68 | 2,175 | +0.75 | 74.0 | #67 | 125.7 | 77th | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | NJN | 20 | 63 | 1,822 | -0.24 | 55.2 | #112 | 70.1 | 57th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | NJN | 19 | 70 | 1,661 | +0.06 | 59.7 | #94 | 75.8 | 57th | Broad |
Career movement
Cliff Robinson's career impact by season
Peak +1.85 in 1985–86 · 11 seasons · 19,284 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
—’90
—’91
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Cliff RobinsonJohn Salley
| NBA season | Cliff Robinson | John Salley |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| 2 | -0.2 | 0.7 |
| 3 | 0.8 | -0.9 |
| 4 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| 5 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| 6 | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| 7 | 1.9 | -1.6 |
| 8 | -1.5 | -0.5 |
| 9 | -1.8 | -1.7 |
| 10 | -2.9 | -2.9 |
| 11 | -6.8 | -4.1 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Cliff Robinson
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PF · All-Time Career #924
John Salley
93career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 1989–90PF · All-Time Career #1055Harvey Grant
93career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 1992–93SF · All-Time Career #1101Joe Ingles
92career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 2017–18Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →