Glenn Alann ‘Tre’ Robinson III (born January 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Sharjah SC of the UAE National Basketball League. He was drafted 40th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2014 NBA draft. He played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Robinson won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2017.
He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was an All-Freshman team honoree in during the 2012–13 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season for the 2012–13 Michigan Wolverines team that finished as national runner-up in the 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He returned to play for the 2013–14 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season champion 2013–14 Wolverines before departing for the NBA.
Robinson was an all-state high school basketball player for Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana. He is the son of Glenn Robinson, the 1994 first overall NBA draft pick. Two of his siblings were multiple time state champions in high school in individual events.
Early life Robinson was prematurely born to his mother, Shantelle Clay, at Methodist Hospital in Gary, Indiana. He spent his first two months in an incubator, until he was about . He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother. By age three, he was a participant in the Hammond, Indiana YMCA children's basketball league. At age 5 he played in a Boys & Girls Clubs of America basketball league.
Growing up, Robinson had special NBA experiences. On January 2, 1998, when his father and Michael Jordan each scored 44 points against each other at the United Center, he and his brother Gelen were in the front row. When his father played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Robinson remembers being kicked off the court by head coach George Karl. During a meeting in the Philadelphia 76ers locker room with Allen Iverson, Iverson referred to him as "Shorty", and the younger Robinson noted that he was as tall as Iverson, saying "Man, I’m your height right now! Who are you calling shorty?"
Robinson attended Grimmer Middle School in Schererville, Indiana prior to attending Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana. He stood at in seventh grade and two years later as a freshman. Robinson was nearly during his sophomore season and stood at more than as a junior.
High school career As a freshman, he played junior varsity for Lake Central. At the time, his father lived in Atlanta, and Robinson grew up with his mother, Shantelle Clay-Irving alongside his younger brother Gelen. During the summer between his freshman and sophomore season, he came under the wing of two substitute father figures: Dave Milausnic, Lake Central Varsity Basketball head coach, and Wayne Brumm, AAU SYF Players under-17 coach. Milausnic convinced Robinson to come to the gym for early morning workouts, often waking Robinson at his home. Brumm, who would continue to mentor Robinson as a collegian, advised him to hire a personal trainer named Andrew Wallen, who helped Robinson augment his vertical leap. He also helped Robinson bulk up from prior to his sophomore year to in two years.
As a sophomore, he was a first-team all-area selection after leading Lake Central in scoring. On September 14, 2010, Robinson became the first verbal commitment to the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball class of 2012. At the time, he had scholarship offers from Colorado, Valparaiso, Missouri State, IUPUI and Indiana State, and Rivals.com rated him as the 118th-best player in the class of 2012. On February 5, 2011, Robinson posted his career-high 39 points against East Chicago Central High School on 14-for-19 shooting. In the 2011 Indiana sectional against Munster High School, Robinson scored 31 points in an overtime 54–53 loss.
Robinson and Mitch McGary had been friends for years prior to their Michigan affiliation. By the time McGary committed to Michigan in November 2011, Robinson had moved up to the national no. 34 player ranking, per Rivals.com. The pair, along with Nik Stauskas, gave Michigan a consensus top 10 entering class for its 2012 campaign. Robinson visited Michigan along with future teammate Stauskas to see the 61–56 New Year's Day 2012 victory by the 2011–12 Wolverines team over Minnesota. Robinson blossomed as a senior in 2012. In January 2012, he led Lake Central to a 71–47 win over North Carolina-bound J. P. Tokoto's Menomonee Falls High School at the Brandon Jennings Invitational in Milwaukee. Robinson earned most valuable player (MVP) honors with 33 points, while Tokoto posted 28. Robinson led Lake Central to its first sectional championship since 1997 with a 24-point performance in the team's 63–37 victory over Highland High School. The road to the sectional title included a 66–56 rematch victory over Munster. Despite his ascent in the national player rankings, Robinson never received an offer from either Purdue or Indiana.
Following the season, Robinson was invited to participate in the four-team All-American Championship along with future teammate McGary in New Orleans on April 1, 2012. He posted 16 points and 4 rebounds to earn the ESPNHS All-American Championship game MVP. He was named the 2012 Post-Tribune boys' basketball player of the year. By the end of his senior year, Robinson was considered a five-star player by Rivals.com. Robinson was an honor roll student at Lake Central. He placed fourth in the Indiana Mr. Basketball voting behind Gary Harris, Yogi Ferrell and Kellen Dunham. Robinson was a second-team Associated Press all-state selection. His late rise offset a late fall by McGary and enabled Michigan to retain its top-ten class status.
College career The 2011–12 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team had been co-champions of 2011–12 Big Ten Conference, but lost both of its co-captains, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, to graduation. The team also lost three players as transfers. The team was returning a nucleus of All-Big Ten players Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Freshman season
Robinson began his Michigan career in the starting lineup on November 9. In his first career game, Robinson nearly posted a double-double with ten points and eight rebounds in a 100–62 victory against Slippery Rock. In his second game, Robinson had 21 points, while making his first eight field goals in a 91–54 victory against the IUPUI Jaguars on November 12. On November 23, he posted 12 rebounds in the championship game victory in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament against Kansas State.
On January 6, Robinson posted 20 points and 10 rebounds against Iowa to earn his first career double-double. He was the first Michigan freshman to post at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game since LaVell Blanchard did so three times for the 1999–2000 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. On January 7, he earned recognition as Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week. Robinson earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the week award on January 28 due to a pair of 12-point performances on 71.4% shooting in which he averaged 8 rebounds. On January 31, Robinson and Stauskas were named to the Wayman Tisdale Award (USBWA National Freshman of the Year) top 12 midseason list. On February 17 against Penn State, Robinson tied his career-high point total of 21 and posted his second double-double by adding 10 rebounds. He was a 2012–13 Big Ten Conference all-freshman and honorable mention all-conference selection by the coaches.
As a number four seed, Michigan defeated its first NCAA tournament opponent, South Dakota State, 71–56. Robinson tied his career high again with 21 points. The 27th victory of the season gave the team its most wins in 20 years and matched head coach John Beilein's career high. Michigan had held a narrow 30–26 lead at the half, but Robinson made two 3-pointers to open the second half. He scored Michigan's first eleven second-half points as South Dakota only made one field goal in that time. In the first two tournament games against South Dakota State and VCU, Robinson shot a combined 15-for-19. On March 29 against Kansas, Robinson contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds, bringing his averages in the first three tournament games to 16 points and 7.7 rebounds. During the final media timeout with 3:47 to play and Michigan trailing by 10 points, Robinson became the vocal leader during the team huddle for the first time as a Wolverine, reminding his teammates to focus on their defense. With Michigan down by 5 points, he scooped a loose ball for an offensive rebound and made a reverse layup following a Tim Hardaway Jr. missed three-point shot with 35 seconds remaining. It was part of a Michigan 14–4 run in the final 2:52 to force overtime in the victory. On April 1, he was one of two Big Ten players (Harris) named to the 21-man 2013 Kyle Macy Freshman All-America team. Michigan advanced to the April 8 national championship game where the team lost to Louisville by an 82–76 margin despite 12 points from Robinson. Following his freshman season there was speculation he was considering entering the 2013 NBA draft. He was a projected first-round pick; however, on April 18, he and Mitch McGary held a joint press conference to announce that they would not enter the draft.
Sophomore season
Robinson declined an invitation to try out for the USA Basketball team that competed at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, opting instead to attend a Nike Skills Academy for wing players featuring Kevin Durant and LeBron James. While training, he became the first player in the history of Michigan basketball to max out the Vertec apparatus that is used to measure vertical leap.
Robinson was a preseason All-Big Ten selection in both the official media poll released by the Big Ten Conference and the unofficial media poll released by the Big Ten Network. Robinson was on the 50-man Naismith Award and Wooden Award preseason watchlists.
On November 8, Robinson tied career highs with 4 assists and 3 steals against UMass Lowell on a night when he also had 15 points and 7 rebounds. On November 13, Robinson earned his first Sports Illustrated cover as part of a four-version set of regional covers depicting college basketball's greatest rivalries on the college basketball preview issue. Robinson and Michigan State Spartans men's basketball player Gary Harris represented the Michigan–Michigan State basketball rivalry on one of the four regional versions. On December 14, Robinson tallied 20 points on 8-of-9 field goal shooting and 4 rebounds against (#1/#1) Arizona in a 72–70 loss. On December 28, against Holy Cross Robinson posted a career high with 23 points.
In the January 2 Big Ten Conference opener against Minnesota, Robinson set a career high with 4 blocks despite missing the final 17:24 of the game with an injury to his left ankle. Robinson tied his career high with 23 points against Nebraska on February 5 as the team posted its largest conference game margin of victory since defeating Indiana 112–64 on February 22, 1998. On February 26, Robinson contributed a team-high 17 points including a game-winning overtime buzzer beater against his father's alma mater Purdue to help the team overcome its largest deficit of the season (19). On March 8, Robinson had his fourth 20-point game of the season to help Michigan close out its season with an 84–80 victory over Indiana. His 20 points included a tie-breaking three-pointer with 1:10 remaining. Michigan clinched its first outright (unshared) Big Ten Conference championship since 1985–86. Following the regular season, he was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media.