David Robinson Talks Army vs. Navy Game, USAA, Spurs and More in B/R Exclusive

Fans will not be able to attend Saturday's Army vs. Navy game because of COVID-19 restrictions, but Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is doing what he can to keep them connected to the traditional rivalry clash. 

Robinson, who was a Naismith Award winner and two-time consensus All-American during his collegiate career at Navy, partnered with USAA to present the "Army-Navy House" sweepstakes that will give fans the chance to win tickets for next year's game and show their Academy pride.

"Since only the Cadets and the Midshipmen are going to be at the game, this is an opportunity for all the fans who love this game and love to be a part of this game to feel more connected to it," Robinson told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview.

Fans can visit ArmyNavyHouse.com and upload a photograph of themselves cheering for the Black Knights or Midshipmen. Anyone who does will be entered to win a grand prize of a trip to next year's game in New York that includes the flight, hotel and game tickets.

One winner from each Academy will enjoy that prize, while 1,000 more from each side will receive a commemorative ticket.

"Hopefully people can feel more engaged in what's happening because it is an exciting thing for everyone," Robinson said. "I only recently got a chance to go to the Army-Navy game about four years ago, and even I was blown away with what it means to our country."

This year's game was moved from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to Army's campus in West Point, New York, because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Only the Cadets from Army and Midshipmen from Navy will be in attendance in the first edition of the game to take place on campus since 1943. While the game is at Army, which has won three of the last four meetings, Robinson believes his alma mater will come out on top.

"I predict Navy all the way; are you kidding me?" he said while laughing. "We have been struggling the last few years, and it's time for us to get back on our horse and get back at West Point."

It would be a return to form for Navy, which leads the all-time series 61-52-7 and won 14 in a row from 2002 through 2015.

It would also be an upset since Army is 7-2 and Navy is 3-6 and riding a four-game losing streak. The Admiral went undefeated against Army on the court and was not accustomed to being an underdog during his dominant collegiate career but knows the challenger is always formidable in this matchup regardless of the records.

"You never know in a game like this with the excitement, and the intensity of the rivalry is always tough," he said. "We were ranked very high, and it didn't matter. They still came at us. ... That's what I love about any Army-Navy game; it's going to be incredibly high respect for one another, but it's also going to be tough competition and you're going to have to go out and beat the other team. Nobody is going to give you anything."

Tough competition like that is exactly what the NBA was able to pull off when it completed its 2019-20 campaign at the Walt Disney World Resort bubble and avoided any positive COVID-19 cases along the way.

Robinson could not have been more impressed by the league's efforts.

"It was fantastic," the two-time champion said. "I've got to give Adam Silver a lot of credit. He reached out to the players, he allowed them to be engaged in the process and feel engaged in the process. As far as things going off without a hitch, I don't think it could have been any better for the NBA. You see now college and pros are just having a hard time putting this together. It feels nearly impossible to have something that looks like a season."

Robinson's former team, the San Antonio Spurs, was one of the 22 squads invited to the bubble but did not qualify for the playoffs. It snapped a streak of 22 straight playoff appearances dating back to the 1996-97 season and leaves the team under the spotlight entering the upcoming campaign.

LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan are still around, but San Antonio's future will likely be determined by a young core featuring pieces such as Derrick White, Dejounte Murray, Tre Jones, Devin Vassell and Lonnie Walker IV.

The 1994-95 league MVP likes what he sees from that group, even if it may take a few years to fully develop:

"We've got such a new team. For the first time in a while these guys are having to figure things out for themselves. They're having to become the new representation of the Spurs organization. And I think they're going to be fantastic, but it's a process. They're going to have to embrace it and figure out how to move the needle forward. I'm excited to see what's going to happen. I love our young group, but you can feel a lot of responsibility having to replace guys like Tim Duncan and Manu and Tony."

While those Spurs are not ready to compete for a title like the ones featuring Robinson, Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and others, the big man was not ready to make a championship pick this early even though he granted "it doesn't feel like anybody's ready to unseat the Lakers yet."

"There's so many question marks," he continued. "Are the Clippers going to figure this out? I thought they had a really good opportunity, I thought Milwaukee had a really good opportunity. Granted it was a short season; the chemistry wasn't there. And typically when chemistry is not there, what's going to win is talent. And that's clearly what happened in this case. The Lakers were just better."

Robinson is hoping Navy is just better on Saturday as well.