Duncan Robinson Bio
Duncan McBryde Robinson is an American professional basketball player who plays as a small forward and shooting guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He began his college career at NCAA Division III Williams College before transferring to the University of Michigan, where he became one of the conference’s top three-point shooters. After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Robinson signed with the Miami Heat and developed into one of the league’s premier outside shooters, setting several franchise and league three-point records. He is the only player from Williams College to ever appear in an NBA game.
Early Life and Background
Born on April 22, 1994, in York, Maine, Duncan McBryde Robinson is the youngest of three children of Jeffrey and Elisabeth Robinson. He is part Hawaiian on his mother’s side and grew up in the small town of New Castle, New Hampshire, where his sixth-grade graduating class at Maude H. Trefethen Elementary School had just four students. Robinson attended Rye Junior High School and later chose The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, over his local public high school in New Castle.
Robinson started his freshman season as a 5-foot-7 point guard and saw limited playing time until his junior year. He committed himself to relentless practice, attempting roughly 1,600 shots per week, and began working with trainer Noah LaRoche during his junior season. After averaging 18.5 points as a senior, he was named to the 2012 All-NEPSAC Class B first team and graduated with a 3.55 grade point average. Following his senior year, he did a postgraduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, where he led the team to a 28–1 record and a NEPSAC Class A championship while earning Tournament MVP honors.
Path to Basketball
Coming out of Phillips Exeter, Robinson held only one scholarship offer, from NCAA Division II Merrimack College, although he also drew interest from Brown, Columbia, Bates, and Amherst. He accepted an offer from Williams College, where he became the only freshman starter in head coach Mike Maker’s six-year tenure. In his freshman season, Robinson led the NESCAC in three-point percentage and minutes played, set Williams single-season records for minutes and freshman points, and helped the Ephs reach the 2014 NCAA Division III championship game, where they lost 75–73 to Wisconsin–Whitewater.
Following that season, Maker departed Williams for Marist, and Robinson was courted by programs from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and other major conferences. After visiting Michigan and Davidson, he committed to the Wolverines, redshirted the 2014–15 season, and was named the 2018 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year as a senior. With Michigan, Robinson helped the program reach the 2018 NCAA Division I championship game, becoming the first player to appear in both a Division I and a Division III national title game.
Duncan Robinson Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Robinson signed a Summer League deal with the Miami Heat and averaged 12.4 points across five games while shooting 63 percent from three-point range. On July 10, 2018, he agreed to a two-way contract with the Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. When he made his NBA debut on October 24, 2018, against the New York Knicks, he became the first former Division III player to play in the league since Devean George and the first Williams College alumnus ever to appear in an NBA game.
Robinson split his rookie year between Miami and Sioux Falls, posting a 36-point game for the Skyforce on March 19, 2019, and earning 2019 All-NBA G League Third Team honors. He set two Skyforce franchise records for single-season and career three-point percentage, with the latter standing as an NBA G League all-time record. On April 9, 2019, the Heat converted his two-way deal into a standard two-year NBA contract.
Miami Heat Breakthrough (2018–2025)
Robinson’s role expanded significantly during the 2019–20 season, when he bulked up 15 pounds and set multiple Miami franchise and league shooting records. On December 10, 2019, he scored an NBA career-high 34 points and hit 10 three-pointers in a win over the Atlanta Hawks, tying a Heat single-game record. The Wall Street Journal later described him as one of the best shooters on the planet. By February 2020, he had reached 200 career three-pointers in just 69 games, the fastest in NBA history at the time, and he was selected for the Three-Point Contest at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.
Robinson helped the Heat reach the 2020 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, hitting seven three-pointers in Game 5 to set an NBA Finals record for undrafted players. On August 6, 2021, he signed a five-year, $90 million extension, the richest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player at that time. He went on to set Heat records for most three-pointers in a playoff game and fastest career milestones at 300, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, and 1,000 three-pointers made. Robinson also helped Miami reach the 2023 NBA Finals before falling to the Denver Nuggets, and he passed Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, and LeBron James to become the Heat’s all-time leader in playoff three-pointers.
Detroit Pistons Era (2025–Present)
On July 7, 2025, Robinson joined the Detroit Pistons through a sign-and-trade that sent Simone Fontecchio to Miami. The three-year deal is worth $48 million and runs through the 2027–28 season. He arrives in Detroit as one of the league’s most accomplished shooters, holding several Miami franchise and NBA records for three-point shooting volume and pace.
Robinson’s shooting remains the centerpiece of his game, and he is expected to space the floor for a young Pistons team. He continues to extend records tied to reaching three-point milestones, as Kon Knueppel surpassed his 69-game mark in 2026, and he retains the record for the fastest player to 1,000 career three-pointers at 343 games. His veteran presence adds playoff experience from two NBA Finals runs.
Driving Style and Strengths
Not applicable to basketball.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include his 2019 G League honors, his 2020 NBA Finals record for an undrafted player, his record-breaking $90 million extension in 2021, and his rapid climb to 1,000 career three-pointers in just 343 games, the fastest in league history. He also made history by playing in both the Division I and Division III championship games during his college career.
Duncan Robinson Career Wins
Duncan McBryde Robinson’s win totals reflect both team achievements and personal shooting milestones. At Williams, he helped the Ephs reach the 2014 NCAA Division III championship game. At Michigan, he was part of conference tournament championship teams in 2017 and 2018, and he helped the Wolverines reach the 2018 NCAA Division I championship game. With the Miami Heat, he was a key contributor on two NBA Finals teams in 2020 and 2023.
Miami Heat Highlights
During his Heat tenure, Robinson became the franchise’s all-time leader in made three-pointers, surpassing Tim Hardaway, and set the team record for most three-pointers in a playoff game with eight against Atlanta in 2022. He finished his Heat career with multiple franchise shooting records for effective field goal percentage and two-point field goal percentage. He also became the Heat’s all-time playoff leader in three-pointers, passing Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, and LeBron James.
Other Wins & Performances
At Williams College, Robinson was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year and earned D3Hoops.com National Rookie of the Year honors, while leading the Ephs to the 2014 Division III title game. At Michigan, he was a 2018 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree. In the G League, he earned 2019 All-NBA G League Third Team honors with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
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Duncan Robinson Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Not applicable.
Personal Life
Duncan McBryde Robinson is the son of Jeffrey and Elisabeth Robinson and the youngest of three children, with an older sister, Marta, and an older brother, Eli. His mother is of part Hawaiian heritage. In 2025, his brother Eli died by suicide following a schizophrenia diagnosis, prompting Duncan and his family to establish the Robinson Family Foundation to support mental health awareness and resources. He also co-hosts the Long Shot Pod podcast with friend Davis Reid, produced by ThreeFourTwo Productions.
2025 Season Performance
Robinson’s 2025 calendar year was defined by his transition from the Miami Heat to the Detroit Pistons in July 2025. The sign-and-trade agreement ended a seven-year run with the Heat, during which he set most of the franchise’s three-point records. He joined a Detroit team looking to add veteran shooting to a young core.
Heading into the 2025–26 season, Robinson remains one of the league’s most efficient volume three-point shooters, even as the game’s pace has slowed at the very top of the leaderboard. His track record of hitting three-point milestones at a record pace gives Detroit a reliable perimeter threat. The Pistons also benefit from his NBA Finals experience.
The outlook for Robinson in Detroit centers on his continuing role as a floor spacer and mentor. While younger players like Kon Knueppel have already begun to challenge some of his pace records, Robinson still owns the fastest mark to 1,000 career three-pointers. Detroit’s playoff push will depend, in part, on whether his three-point stroke continues to deliver the kind of historic efficiency he showed in Miami.
