Despite not even taking up basketball until he was 17, Bill Robinzine was a 1st round draft pick in 1975, being selected by the Kansas City Kings. However, starting in 1980, he would go on to be traded in quick succession from the Kings to the Cleveland Cavaliers, then to the Dallas Mavericks, and finally to the Utah Jazz, according to Basketball Reference. However, at the end of the 1982 season, he found himself without an NBA team for the first time in years. The New York Times reported that Robinzine was looking into joining a European team.
So when the player died by suicide on September 16, 1982, aged 29, his friends and family were shocked. Another article in the Times reported that while Robinzine was having some financial issues, they were nothing that couldn't be dealt with relatively easily, and while he was sad not to be playing in the NBA at that point, he had discussed the possibility of playing in Italy with many of his friends in the weeks before he died. He was happily married and seemed to have a bright future, even if the NBA was behind him.
A college teammate said, "It seemed like he had a million different options," while Robinzine's college coach told a reporter, "He was all smiles. He never had any problems. He never told us any."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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