NBA's Cliff 'Uncle Spliffy' Robinson Plans to Open Pot Shop in Portland

Cliff Robinson (aka Uncle Cliffy) liked to blaze when he played for the Trailblazers in Portland from 1989 to 1997.

Celebrities keep jumping on the legal weed bandwagon. The latest is former NBA All-Star Cliff Robinson, who says he's opening a store called Uncle Spliffy in Portland, where he began his career as a Blazer.

Robinson's career spanned 19 seasons. After eight years in Portland - he was an All-Star in 1994 when he averaged 20 points per game - the 6-10 hoopster was traded to Phoenix, Detroit and Golden State before ending his career in New Jersey in 2007. Born in Buffalo, he currently resides in Portland.

Robinson was arrested for marijuana possession and DUI in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2001 and violated the NBA's drug policy in 2006. Both times he was suspended by the league.  

He used marijuana as a player to combat stress and injuries, and because the pharmaceutical meds they gave him bothered his stomach. "There are a lot of narcotics that are very addictive," Robinson now says. "I think from that standpoint alone, we need to look at alternative means of treating different illnesses." 

Robinson plans to start by selling "hemp-based products," then move on to "topicals, extracts and eventually flowers."

He'll be speaking at the Cannabis Collaborative Conference in Portland on Feb. 4.

Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

Publisher of CelebStoner.com, former editor of High Times and Freedom Leaf and co-author of Pot Culture and Reefer Movie Madness.