Duncan Robinson's improbable basketball journey: From Michigan basketball to NBA Finals

Duncan Robinson.

LeBron James.

Only one can win the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.

Robinson, the former Michigan basketball player well-known for his unlikely path to Ann Arbor, will face off against James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals starting this week. Game 1 between Robinson's Miami Heat and the Lakers will take place Wednesday.

Robinson's ascent in the NBA has been surprising considering he once was a Division III college player before transferring to Michigan. But the sharpshooter has carved out a significant role with the Heat. Sunday night, he helped Miami close out the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, scoring 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting from 3-point range. In Game 5, Robinson scored 20 points.

It has all been part of a breakout season in which Robinson has cemented a spot in Miami's starting lineup while averaging 13.5 points on 44.6% shooting from deep (8.3 attempts per game). Robinson's 270 total 3-pointers are tied for 12th-most in league history.

Robinson spent much of his rookie season in the G-League, but earned a late call-up and appeared in 15 games with the Heat. In those contests, he averaged 3.3 points and shot just 28.6% from deep — hardly stats that hinted at what would come next.

Now, Robinson has a shot at winning a ring — and he'll be playing against someone who he has long idolized.

"I remember watching him last year, I sat on the bench the whole game, but I think he had 50 in Miami, or at least 40," Robinson said of James on the J.J. Redick Podcast in March. "And then this year, when we played against him both times ... we played them early in the season, at this point I hadn't done much; he was guarding me but he was just sitting in the paint. And I made a shot. And he kinda scoffed at me like, 'Who is this guy?'

"And I didn't shoot well that game. That was when I was trying to figure it all out."

Robinson and the Heat earned a shout-out from Michigan coach Juwan Howard, who ended his career as a player in Miami before serving as an assistant coach from 2013-19. Howard and Robinson briefly crossed paths in 2019.

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Michigan Wolverines content.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's Duncan Robinson will play for an NBA championship