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DAVID'S VICTORY

What does it mean to be a team player? David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs discovered during the 1998-99 NBA championship run that sometimes it means giving up the spotlight to another player for the good of the team.

The nine-time All-Star center, who was honored as one of the NBA's "50 Greatest Players" and won the MVP award for the 1994-95 season, allowed Tim Duncan to become the focal point during the Spurs' NBA championship season.

Is it easy making the personal sacrifice for the team? After their championship David Robinson admitted it was not easy for him. "I can't deny that it felt weird to see Tim standing on the podium with the Finals MVP trophy. I was thinking, Man, never have I come to the end of a tournament and not been the one holding up that trophy. It was hard."

But Robinson points to his faith in God in helping him deal with the situation. "I can't overstate how important my faith has been to me as an athlete and as a person. It's helped me deal with so many things, including matters of ego and pride."

As Robinson dealt with his ego and pride, he remembered the story of David and Saul. "I thought about the Bible story of David and Goliath. David helped King Saul win a battle, but the king wasn't happy because he had killed thousands of men while David had killed tens of thousands. So King Saul couldn't enjoy the victory because he was thinking about David's getting more credit than he was. I'm blessed that God has given me the ability to just enjoy the victory. So Tim killed the tens of thousands. That's great. I'm happy for him."

King Saul could not enjoy the victory because he wasn't the focus of the celebration. His pride and jealousy prevented him from celebrating the incredible victory, which David brought with his defeat of the giant Goliath.

David Robinson could have fallen into the same trap of jealousy and pride. He could have sulked and whined because Tim Duncan was receiving so much attention. But with God's help, Robinson put his pride to the side and defeated the giant opponent of jealousy. In God's eyes that just may be Robinson's greatest victory yet.

Christ my Coach,

Steve Teel