NBA All-Star Legend Oscar Robertson becomes IPCF chairman of the board.

above images courtesy of 2uCreative by Amy Morelli and Liga Photography

The International Prostate Cancer Foundation is pleased to announce NBA All-Star Legend, Oscar Robertson has accepted the position as the new Chair of our Board of Directors.

Oscar Robertson, nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player and retired businessman. After a stellar 14-season career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Robertson is widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the history of the game and is named among the NBA’s 50 and 75 greatest players of all time.  As the first big guard, his accomplishments include the NBA Rookie of the Year (1961), NBA MVP (1964), a 12-time All-Star, three-time NBA All-Star MVP, and 11-time All-NBA Team honors. He became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season (1961-1962) and help win Milwaukee its first NBA title in 1971.

Robertson is a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted in 1979 for his individual career and in 2010 as co-captain of the 1960 United States gold medal men's Olympic basketball team.  and president of the National Basketball Players Association.

The United States Basketball Writers Association renamed their College Player of the Year Award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in his honor in 1998, and he was also one of five people chosen to represent the inaugural National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2006. Robertson co-founded the National Basketball Retired Players Association in 1992 and in October 2021, Robertson was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Robertson's business acumen was evident from the beginning, after his retirement from the NBA, Robertson started two businesses headquartered in Cincinnati, OR Solutions and Orchem, Inc. where he took on the leadership role of Chief Executive of Operations, before retiring to Florida.

Since the International Prostate Cancer Foundation’s inception in 2012, Oscar Robertson has donated his time, expertise and experience as a prostate cancer survivor to spread public awareness and contribute to our many fundraising efforts for fighting prostate cancer and it’s effects. From national press tours to more intimate meet and greets his presence has been a fixture of support to the foundation for the last 11 years.

Founder Vipul Patel states, “I appreciate the dedication that Oscar has shown to men with prostate cancer and their families, and I look forward to working with him as the board chair as we continue to advocate for men afflicted with this disease.”

Robertson is not only an advocate for prostate cancer awareness, he was heavily involved in the Boys Club of New York and the National Kidney Foundation. He also started the Oscar & Yvonne Robertson Scholarship Fund to support minority students at the University of Cincinnati.

Throughout his life and career he has also advocated for equality in pay and fair treatment in the National Basketball league as well as supporting various social justice causes working to eliminate racism and sexism. As the longest running first black president of a labor union, Robertson was an integral part of Robertson v. National Basketball Association of 1970. The landmark NBA antitrust suit, which was filed when Robertson was the president of the NBA Players' Association, led to an extensive reform of the league's strict free agency and draft rules and, subsequently, to higher salaries for all players. The subsequent settlement included the Oscar Robertson Rule, which started free agency in the NBA.

Congratulations, Oscar on all of your achievements! The International Prostate Cancer Foundation is grateful that you lend your voice to our cause and so many others. We are lucky to have you.