Nate Robinson, Little King

Robinson recognized that about half the crowd was more interested in the valuable sneakers (they've already sold on eBay for as much as $4,000) than in his appearance. "They was just some sneaker-heads," Robinson said. He has a point, but there's also a reason why Nike chose to make Nate Robinson shoes and not a pair of Robert Swift cement high-tops.

Robinson tended to the brimming horde of fans who wanted autographs, and after 10 minutes of signing, security moved in and cleared out the store. Just before Robinson left, Noel Lee zipped in on his Segway and handed him the headphones. Robinson's eyes flashed genuine excitement when he saw the green headphones, and The Head Monster got his photo of Robinson wearing the company's gear.

Jordan Hollender

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• Nate Robinson
• Jacque Robinson
• New York Knicks
• NBA Atlantic Division
• College Basketball

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D'Antoni believes that fame and publicity have brought his young guard to an early crossroads. "[He] can go either way," D'Antoni says. "It can motivate him and calm him down to be a steady, great player, or he could just say 'Look who I am!' and go crazy."

But as Romar suggests, Robinson, a 5'9" guard capable of racking up 40-point games at the highest level of professional basketball, pulls off the improbable every time he checks in at the scorer's table. "Don't doubt him," Romar warns. "I don't think he's being hyped up as the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. He's being hyped because on the court, you find yourself not wanting to take your eyes off him. You can be captivated by his every move. And as long as he plays basketball, he's going to be that way."

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