Who is Junior Robinson? Fast facts about the Hawks' 5-foot-5 Summer League sensation

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Gilbert McGregor
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• 3 min read
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A number of top draft picks have made their mark this summer in the Utah, Sacramento and Las Vegas Summer Leagues. While their performances are somewhat expected each summer, there seems to always be a lesser-known sensation to take the league by storm. This year it's 5-foot-5 guard Lamont "Junior" Robinson. 

The electrifying guard caught the attention of a few fans when it was announced he would play with Atlanta in Utah and Las Vegas, but it was not until his breakout performance Friday night that the rest of the basketball world took notice.

In a 16-point win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Robinson scored 20 points in 26 minutes, electrifying the crowd with each acrobatic bucket. He's no stranger to the big stage, either – Robinson has proven to perform well at every level.


Here are a few facts about the basketball journey of this summer's latest star…

The Beginning

A native of Mebane, North Carolina, Robinson proved to be an elite collegiate prospect during his time at Eastern Alamance High School. Robinson broke a number of scoring records and racked up an impressive list of honours during his time as a prep.

Before he was a pro…

Robinson spent four years developing his game at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He showed significant development and improvement each season.

As a junior, Robinson averaged 14.1 points per game to help lead Mount St. Mary's to the 2017 NCAA Tournament. As a senior, he increased his scoring average to 22.0 points per game and was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year.

A four-year starter for the Mountaineers, Robinson averaged 14.3 points and 3.5 assists for his career.

Unique athleticism

Robinson's scoring ability is helped by the elite levels of athleticism he has shown off. Prior to a Hawks' Summer League game, Robinson rose up for an impressive dunk during warm-ups.


Approval of a legend

Robinson's performance caught the eyes of many, including Hall-of-Fame point guard Isiah Thomas, who, during the game said, "That's what I'm talking about. Junior Robinson can play basketball."

Thomas later doubled down on his in-game comments, tweeting more compliments to the guard.


Hawks No. 5 overall pick Trae Young did not hesitate to join in on the Twitter reactions, letting the world know that his teammate had tapped into another level.


While he may be small in stature, Robinson certainly has a big game. His performance Friday could very well be a launchpad for even bigger things at the professional level.

 

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.