One of the greatest NBA players to ever grace the league, Oscar Robertson will be honored at the 2018 NBA Awards show for his work on and off the hardwood. According to an NBA press release, The Hall of Fame guard will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during the show set to take place in Los Angeles on June 25th.
Turner and the NBA today announced that Oscar Robertson, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and 12-time NBA All-Star, will be honored by the NBA with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 NBA Awards on TNT presented by Kia.
On the court, Robertson was the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double (double figures in points, rebounds and assists) for an entire season (1961-1962), and he remains the league’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 181.
Off the court, Robertson’s impact on basketball was even more significant. As the first African-American president of any national sports or entertainment labor union, Robertson was the longest-serving president of the National Basketball Players Association from 1965-1974. His anti-trust lawsuit against the NBA in part sought changes in the NBA Draft and players’ movement. The 1976 settlement – known as the Oscar Robertson Rule – changed the balance of power in professional sports and ushered in free agency in the NBA and other professional sports.
Robertson also co-founded the National Basketball Retired Players Association and served as its first president from 1992-1998, dedicated to improving pension benefits and medical care for an earlier generation of players.
The no. 1 overall pick in the 1960 draft, Oscar Robertson is more than deserving of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. While his work on the court was historic, the things he accomplished off the court may even surpass that, making him the ideal candidate for the award.
The 2018 NBA Awards Show will be televised live on TNT and will feature a musical performance by rapper Travis Scott.
