Former Phoenix Suns star Truck Robinson was once a force in the NBA

Truck Robinson is one of the most important players in Phoenix Suns history. But while he may not have been with the franchise for some time, he should not be forgotten.

The first in a new series for Valley of the Suns, centered on some interesting players from Phoenix Suns History, I will help fans to remember or even learn about several important and even forgotten players that wore the purple and orange over the years.

From well-known names to obscure contributors at the end of the bench, each posts aims to illuminate a piece of Phoenix Suns history, one player at a time.

Leonard ‘Truck’ Robinson was one the NBA’s best (and definitely one of the most imposing) forwards in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Although, his career peak was reached before he reached Phoenix, he was a crucial piece of the Suns for three and a half seasons and helped the team to one of it’s best regular season finishes in franchise history.

‘Truck’ joined the league in 1974 out of Tennessee State after being drafted by the Washington Bullets. Robinson had an immediate taste of team success in his rookie year as the Bullets made the 1975 NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors in four games.

Although showing promise in his second season with Washington, Truck was shipped off to Atlanta after 41 games in his third campaign to the Atlanta Hawks.

In 36 games with the Hawks, he flourished, averaging 22.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

In the following offseason, Robinson signed as a free agent contract with the New Orleans Jazz, where he played the best basketball of his career during the 1977-78 season, earning his first All-Star berth and making All-NBA first team behind 22.7 ppg and 15.7 rpg.

Despite continuing his success in New Orleans to start the 1978-79 season, the Jazz were a mediocre team and decided to trade Robinson after only 43 games to Phoenix for Marty Byrnes, Ron Lee, two first-round draft picks (1979 and 1980) and cash.

Truck joined a Phoenix Suns roster deep with talent.

Paul Westphal and Walter Davis would both be named to All-NBA teams that year, and Alvin Adams was just short of averaging a double-double.

Robinson brought exactly what the Suns needed: a scoring power forward who could pair with Adams inside.

The Suns finished the season with a 50-32 overall record during the regular season. In the playoffs, Phoenix dispatched Portland in three games and Kansas City in five en-route to a Western Conference Finals showdown with the Seattle SuperSonics.

The series battled back and forth before Seattle finally ended the Suns’ season with a game 7 loss. Truck was held in check by the SuperSonics, averaging only 11.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in the series.

Phoenix and Robinson spent the next two seasons replicating the regular season success they had in ‘78-79, winning 55 games in ‘79-80 and a then franchise record 57 wins in ‘80-81. Robinson averaged over 17 points per game and 9 rebounds per game in both years and was named an All-Star for the second time in ’80-81.

However, the Suns could never quite replicate that success in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference Semi-Finals in both seasons.

In 1981-82, Phoenix took a small step back.

The Suns won only 46 games and were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals for the third straight season, swept by the hated Lakers in four games. Robinson continued his stellar play, averaging 19.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game on a career-best 51.3% from the field.

Following the ’81-82 season, Truck was traded to New York for Maurice Lucas.

By this time, Robinson was approaching 31-years-of-age and on the downswing of his career.

He spent the next three seasons with the Knicks, never averaging more than 11 points per game, and playing only two games in his final season of 1984-85 before retiring at the age of 33.

Despite his relatively short stay, Truck Robinson is an important piece of Phoenix Suns lore from the late 70’s and early 80’s, his consistency and interior play helped Phoenix to four consecutive playoff berths from 1979-1982. As far as power forwards who have played for the franchise, Truck’s name is still near the top of the list.