Veteran Guard Credits Team Medical Staff In Injury Recovery
By: Jameelah Johnson
After sustaining a knee injury early in the season opener for the Atlanta Dream and subsequently undergoing a left knee arthroscopy on May 31, Danielle Robinson returned to play on June 18 at Indiana after an eight game absence.
When the 11-year-vet wasn’t playing, her presence was still felt throughout the team. Pregame, she’d rebound the ball for her teammates. During the game, she was off the bench clapping, cheering, and speaking with those who would come off the floor.
“I feel like, when you’re not able to play, you’re able to affect the game in other ways and affect your team,” Robinson said on being an impact. “And so, making sure I was communicating with them what I saw from the bench and any ways that I could help them was important.”
Dream’s head coach Tanisha Wright has played against Robinson, played with Robinson, and now coaches Robinson, so she’s more than familiar with what she can do. Wright expressed
how Robinson’s basketball IQ is appreciated on the court, “What a luxury to be able to have a veteran player that you can throw in and feel super comfortable.”
On Friday night against the Liberty after picking up her second assist, Robinson became the 12th player in the WNBA in total regular season assists with 1,383. Knowing her return to play could’ve taken longer, Robinson recognized the Dream’s emphasis on ensuring she didn’t become idle.
“Credit to our medical staff.” said Robinson. “They got me moving, yea. Even if I wasn’t able to run physically on my leg, I was on the bike. I was doing things in the right way so that when I was able to get back on the court. They were pushing my cardio which was huge for me coming back early.”
Next up on the list of total regular season assists? Robinson’s current head coach (with 1,423).