Nate Robinson Wants to Change His Reputation Around the NBA

Having agreed to a buyout from the OKC Thunder, Nate Robinson is stuck in no-man’s land for the time being, but he wants decision-makers around the NBA to know that his reputation isn’t entirely accurate. From SI: “Nate Robinson has a request for general managers who might consider adding him to their roster next week when he’s likely to become a free agent: don’t judge a book by its cover. And in the case of Shaquille O’Neal’s recently released, Shaq Uncut: My Story, which portrays Robinson as a jokester more obsessed with his public persona than the decline of his career, the 5-foot-9 guard who is still best known for his three All-Star Slam Dunk Contest championships would be just fine if people skipped this particular book altogether. ‘Everybody on the Celtics knows who created every skit, every prank, that we did — it was all my man Shaq’s idea,’ Robinson, who was with Boston from Feb. 2010 to Feb. 2011, told SI.com via phone on Saturday. ‘We did it together. He wanted to say that, and it’s fine. But when it’s game time and I’m ready to play, then I’m ready to play. That’s something where I have to work to change people’s mind and prove to them that it’s not true. It is what it is. One good outlook of it is that I’m going to always be in that book. … Some people say some things that are not always right, and life’s not fair.’ After his buyout from Oklahoma City was finalized on Saturday and he’s on his way to yet another new stop, Robinson is determined to dispel the prevailing notion that he’s too sophomoric to sign. What was once a refreshing comedy act in those early years in New York has become his latest stigma, with some teams forgetting how explosive of a scorer and shooter he can be while focusing on the antics that have the potential to both doom and define him. As Robinson sees it, the reputation that has caused some wariness about him around the league him is off base. ‘I’m a fun and loving type of guy and always a positive person who’ll be trying to make people smile and laugh, and people take that as being a little kid and being silly,’ said Robinson. ‘This whole situation has definitely humbled me as a person and as a player. I just feel like, at times, I really don’t get that fair shot, like some other guys in the league, but I guess that’s my path. … I’ll continue to work hard.'”