For the third straight year, Lamont “Showboat” Robinson is on the ballot for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Jeannette graduate is known for having a pivotal role in comedy basketball when he played for three Harlem teams: the Globetrotters, Roadkings and Clowns.
Among the list of candidates this year are first-time nominees you might have heard of: Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Swin Cash, of McKeesport fame.
The full list includes players, coaches and contributors, among others.
“To be named with Kobe, Tim Duncan and KG is an unbelievable honor,” said Robinson, 57. “To be one of the 50 (nominees) is a dream come true. It’s a great time.”
Robinson, who used to room with Meadowlark Lemon, attended Jeannette for one year after transferring from Warrendale (Ohio). He still has family in Jeannette.
Robinson said he cried when he was nominated last year.
His parents, Delores and Clarence “Pumpkin” Robinson, are Jeannette natives. His grandfather, John Henry Cowell, was called “ShowBoat” when he played running back at Jeannette in the early 1940s.
Showboat Robinson went on to play at Kankakee Community College (1981–82) and Central State (1985–86) before embarking on a pro career in Denmark in 1987.
He once played in 3,000 consecutive games while on the comedy hoops circuit.
Hall of fame finalists will be announced Feb. 14 during NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago. The full class of inductees will be unveiled in April during the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
The enshrinement ceremony will be Aug. 29 in Springfield, Mass.
You might say fame is Robinson’s game. He established the American Basketball Hall of Fame, of which he is a member.
The music aficionado also founded the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
