Kansas basketball: KU legend Thomas Robinson to have jersey retired

Thomas Robinson will have his Kansas basketball jersey retired at halftime during the Border Showdown against Mizzou.

Thomas Robinson’s name will be cemented in Kansas basketball history later this week. KU is putting his #0 jersey in the rafters at halftime on Saturday when the Jayhawks play against their most hated rival.

A Jayhawk legend, “T-Rob” played 105 games at the collegiate level and became a full-time starter as a junior. He was a consensus All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year for the 2011-12 regular season and led his team to the national championship before losing to Anthony Davis and Kentucky.

It goes without saying that Robinson is one of the most accomplished big men in not only the Bill Self era but in Kansas history. He went on to be drafted to the NBA by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 5 pick, and although his professional career floundered, he spent five years in the league.

The Washington, DC native endured some tough times when he played at KU. His mother and two grandparents died in the span of a month. It was a similar situation to current Jayhawks forward KJ Adams, who lost his mother to cancer last month.

Coach Self connected the two in a statement and said Robinson spoke with KJ: “When the situation happened with KJ and his family, Thomas was one of the first ones to reach out to say, ‘How can I help?'”

It is also a fitting game for his jersey to be retired, as his most memorable performance came vs. Mizzou in the final Big 12 meeting between the two schools in 2012. He recorded a 28-point, 12-rebound double-double and sent back a legendary block to send the game to overtime.

This past summer, Robinson and several other players competed for Mass Street in TBT (The Basketball Tournament). His heroics, which included a game-winning shot in round one, carried Mass Street to the third round before the team felt to Heartfire.

Fellow Kansas basketball great Drew Gooden also had #0 retired, but Kansas only retires jerseys, not numbers.