Described as the 'insights, the wisdom and humor' to help former First Lady Michelle Obama through the tests of the White House, Craig Robinson flew under the radar during the time of his sister in the spotlight.
Although he is from one of the most famous political families in America, Robinson is far from a household name.
But he enjoyed a life that is almost as fascinating as that of his sister and has focused on everything, from finance and politics to the NBA and broadcast.
The 62-year-old appeared on screens again this week when he and Michelle launched their new podcast 'IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson', where the brother and sister will share their thoughts about 'a lot at the moment'.
The brothers and sisters grew extremely close to the south side of Chicago, and when Michelle announced the podcast this week, she wrote that her brother is one of the people to whom I turn when I have something in my mind. ”
“He always has the insights, the wisdom and humor to get me through everything,” she wrote.
But before Michelle had met her future president husband, Craig made a name for herself as a striking basketball star for Princeton University in the early 1980s.
And while he was even set up in the NBA in 1983 – although he never played a game – perhaps Robinson's most famous basketball performance came when he played against Barack to judge his character as a freer for his sister.
Craig Robinson launched a new podcast this week with his former First Lady sister Michelle Obama, after a career that brought him everywhere from the NBA to Wall Street
The brothers and sisters grew up arm in the south side of Chicago, but Robinson said they were not blessed about their poverty and 'never wanted for something'
Robinson, a double Ivy League player of the year, trained with Michael Jordan in 1983 when he prepared for his injury comeback, and at that time he was spoken in the same conversation as the NBA legend.
Robinson was set up in the NBA in the fourth round by the Philadelphia 76ers, and after failing to fail, his only professional performances were for the Manchester Giants in the British Basketball League for two seasons.
Although not known for the search for the spotlight, Robinson became known during the 2008 presidential election for the role he served when Michelle first started to date Barack in the nineties.
Robinson remembered that when Michelle first started their relationship, she asked her brother to play basketball with the future president to gauge his character.
He said that the two fast friends were because of the way Barack played and Esquire told: 'He was quietly confident, which means that he had a good self -image without being stubborn.
“He was definitely a team player – he was not a pig, he passed when he had to pass, and he cut when he was supposed to cut. For me that speaks to a lack of selfishness.
“He had the ability of natural leadership, because he didn't just pass me the ball because he went out with my sister. When a player gets tired, he returns to the player he really is. That's how you tell it. And we played for hours. That's how I could see it. '
Robinson was a striking attacker for Princeton University and became a double Ivy League player of the year. Although he was set up in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983, he never played a game
Robinson played famous a basketball game against Barack Obama when he first started with Michelle, so that he could judge the character of the future president
After his time in Manchester, Robinson enjoyed a brief enchantment as a coach for the Illinois Institute of Technology, before using his Princeton University degree while he turned to a career in Finance in 1990.
Robinson rose through the banking world for the next decade and worked as a trader, director and partner at a number of banks and spent most of the decade with Morgan Stanley.
He stayed close to Michelle when she also graduated from Princeton in 1985 and in himself became a renowned lawyer.
After their father died in 1991, the older brother became something of a father figure for the future First lady, even by walking her through the aisle when she married Barack.
Despite making a substantial salary, Robinson left the financial world in 1999 to return to his passion for basketball, and became an assistant coach at Northwestern University, making a reported wage reduction of 90 percent.
The brothers and sisters, who smile during a recent meal in Los Angeles in February 2025, are in the spotlight during the time of Michelle
Robinson and Michelle grew up in a modest beginning in Chicago, the children of aquatic plant employee Fraser Robinson III and Secretary jury at home Mama Marian Shields
Robinson and Michelle's Meteoric Rise is all the more impressive given their modest start in Chicago,
Their father Fraser Robinson III was a water plants employee, while mother Marian Shields had become a mum of the secretary.
Money was tight, but Robinson said in his memoirs 'A Game of Character', that his youth was very happy.
He explained: “In reality I had no idea that we were poor and would not leave it to leave the house in front of the university.”
“But what I knew was that I never wanted anything I needed or wanted.”
In an essay from 2023 for Newsweek, Robinson said that although his family “didn't have much money,” he was blissful because “our house was always full of love.”
'We ate every now and then and went to the movies. So I was happy – I didn't feel like I was missing anything, “he wrote.
Robinson, a father of four, shared two children, Avery and Leslie, with his first wife, Janis Robinson, with whom he split himself in 2000.
Robinson then met his second wife Kelly McCrum the following year at the NCAA March Madness Final Four event, and the two made the knot in 2006 and had two sons, Austin and Aaron.
Robinson, a father of four, married his second wife Kelly Robinson (together in 2016) in 2006)
Robinson's daughter Leslie was drawn up by the New York Liberty of the Wnba in 2018, of which he said he “happily, excited and surprised him in one go.”
In 2018, his daughter Leslie continued the family foundation in basketball when she became the first wife of an Ivy League College in two decades that was drawn up by New York Liberty in the WNBA.
Robinson admitted that his whole family – except one of the young brothers of Leslie – was amazed by the design and said that he was 'happy, excited and everything surprised in one go'.
“The only one who really thought Leslie would be drawn up was her 8-year-old brother. I'm so proud of her, “he said.
In 2022, Robinson again made the headlines through his children, but not in such a positive way.
Robinson and his wife Kelly have filed a lawsuit against the private school of their children, the university school of Milwaukee, who accused the establishment of racism and expel their sons as retreat to the criticism of the couple at the school.
“The first thing we stood out was a repeated use of racial and ethnic stereotypes in actual class assignments,” Robinson told CNN at the time.
The school denied accusations of 'inequality or discrimination' and shot back in a statement: “We cannot and will not tolerate respectful respectful, bullying or intimidating behavior aimed at our dedicated and hard -working teachers and managers.”
The lawsuit was eventually rejected with prejudices in November 2024, and a joint statement between the parents and the school said that the 'parties have resolved the case'.
Robinson led a successful banking career in the nineties, usually with Morgan Stanley, but went back to basketball coaching for a fraction of his salary to re -deny his passion for the game
After his return to basketball coaching in 1999 with a fraction of his bank salary, Robinson was assistant coach at Northwestern University until he was promoted to head coach of Brown University in 2006.
Two years later, Robinson hit the campaign track with his sister and Barack, including giving a number of speeches and often talking about their pick -up basketball game a decade earlier.
But there were also blips in Robinson's coaching career. He was fired as head coach of men's basketball at Oregon State University in May 2014 because of the poor performance of his team.
Robinson was paid around $ 1.3 million a year for the role that had for another three years on his salary, which means that he owed $ 4 million.
After years as a coach, especially at the Oregon State Beavers, Robinson moved the hierarchy in 2016 when he was hired as a vice -president of player and organizational development by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The following year he left the bucks to become a member of the New York Knicks, where he served vice-president until 2020.
Robinson also became known during the presidency of his brother -in -law as a university basket balalist for ESPN, from 2014.
In July 2020, Robinson rose to his current job when he was appointed as executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
