Last Updated on October 5, 2026 by Candida Lucia
Duncan Robinson’s rise from Division III basketball to becoming one of the NBA’s most recognizable three-point shooters is one of the league’s most unusual success stories. Born on April 22, 1994, in York, Maine, and raised in New Castle, New Hampshire, Robinson grew up in a close family with his parents, Jeffrey and Elisabeth Robinson, his older sister Marta and his older brother Eli.
Family has remained central to Robinson throughout his basketball career. His parents supported him even when Division I opportunities were scarce, while his older siblings helped create the competitive environment that shaped him as a young athlete. Robinson has since started a family life of his own with longtime partner Caroline Nava, whom he married in 2025.
The Detroit Pistons forward has also become increasingly involved in charitable work alongside Caroline and his family through the Robinson Family Foundation. Here is what is publicly known about Duncan Robinson’s wife, children, parents and siblings.
Who Is Duncan Robinson’s Wife?
Duncan Robinson’s wife is Caroline Nava. The couple were together for several years before becoming engaged in February 2025 and later marrying in 2025.
Robinson and Nava had already been publicly connected since at least 2019. Although Robinson generally maintains a relatively private public image, Caroline occasionally shared moments from their relationship through social media.
Their engagement became public during a February 2025 trip to the Bahamas. Nava referred to Robinson as her fiancé in social-media posts from the vacation, while Robinson also affectionately referred to her as his future wife.
The couple subsequently married in Comporta, Portugal. Members of Robinson’s former Middlesex Magic basketball program attended the wedding and publicly congratulated the couple.
More recent charitable-event materials also refer to Caroline as Caroline Robinson, further confirming that the couple married.
Who Is Caroline Nava?
Caroline Nava has built a professional career outside basketball. She has worked in real estate and has been associated with Sotheby’s International Realty.
Caroline also became increasingly involved in charitable work before and after marrying Robinson.
One cause particularly important to her is supporting people recovering from strokes and their families. After her father, Robert, experienced serious health problems in 2022, Caroline became involved in organizing the Smash the Silence charity event to raise money for recovery services.
That personal experience eventually became one of the inspirations behind the Robinson Family Foundation’s focus on heart health and recovery support.
Caroline is now listed alongside Duncan and his sister Marta Robinson Day as one of the founders of the Robinson Family Foundation.
How Did Duncan Robinson and Caroline Nava Meet?
Duncan Robinson and Caroline Nava have kept the exact beginning of their relationship relatively private.
However, their relationship became publicly visible by 2019, when they began appearing together on social media.
Caroline remained alongside Robinson during much of his rise with the Miami Heat, including his transformation from an undrafted player on a two-way contract into one of the NBA’s most successful three-point specialists.
The couple also appeared together at Miami events, charity functions and other public occasions during Robinson’s years with the Heat.
Their relationship reached another milestone in February 2025 when they became engaged, followed by their wedding later that year.
Is Duncan Robinson Married?
Yes. Duncan Robinson is married to Caroline Nava.
The couple became engaged in February 2025 and later held their wedding in Comporta, Portugal.
Older articles that describe Caroline only as Duncan Robinson’s girlfriend are therefore outdated.
As of now, Caroline Nava is Duncan Robinson’s wife.
Does Duncan Robinson Have Children?
There are no publicly confirmed reports that Duncan Robinson and Caroline Nava have children.
Neither Robinson’s current NBA biography nor the Robinson Family Foundation identifies any sons or daughters belonging to the couple.
Robinson and Caroline are increasingly public about their charitable work together, but they continue to keep much of their private family life away from media attention.
As of now, Duncan Robinson has no publicly known children.
Who Are Duncan Robinson’s Parents?
Duncan Robinson’s parents are Jeffrey Robinson and Elisabeth Robinson.
The NBA and University of Michigan both officially identify Jeffrey and Elisabeth as Robinson’s parents.
They raised their three children — Marta, Eli and Duncan — in the small coastal community of New Castle, New Hampshire.
Duncan is the youngest of the three Robinson siblings.
Both parents played meaningful roles in their son’s unconventional basketball development. Jeffrey had his own college basketball background, while Elisabeth coached Duncan when he was young and became one of his most consistent sources of encouragement throughout his career.
Duncan Robinson’s Father: Jeffrey Robinson
Jeffrey Robinson is Duncan Robinson’s father.
Jeffrey had a basketball background before his son became an NBA player. He played one season as a walk-on guard at the University of Maine.
Although Jeffrey did not pursue a major professional basketball career, his experience with the sport helped make basketball familiar within the Robinson household.
Duncan has described his father as possessing a natural shooting touch. Even after Duncan developed into an elite professional shooter, father and son continued competing in casual shooting games.
Jeffrey was particularly known within the family for unconventional shots, and Duncan has joked that some of his father’s creativity even influenced the way he approached shooting.
More importantly, Jeffrey and Elisabeth continued believing in their youngest son even when his basketball future looked uncertain.
Robinson was not considered a major Division I prospect coming out of high school. Instead of pushing him away from basketball, his parents encouraged him to continue pursuing opportunities.
Jeffrey Robinson Supported Duncan’s Unusual Basketball Path
Duncan Robinson’s career did not develop like that of a typical NBA player.
After high school and a postgraduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy, he still did not receive the type of Division I basketball interest expected for a future NBA player.
Robinson instead joined Williams College, an NCAA Division III program.
His parents continued supporting his decision even though there was no obvious path from Division III basketball to the NBA.
Robinson immediately excelled at Williams, averaging 17.1 points as a freshman and helping the team reach the Division III national championship game.
That success eventually created an opportunity to transfer to the University of Michigan.
Robinson later described the support from both of his parents as relentless, explaining that they believed in him even when his basketball future appeared uncertain.
Duncan Robinson’s Mother: Elisabeth Robinson
Elisabeth Robinson is Duncan Robinson’s mother and one of the most influential people in his life.
Robinson has publicly described his mother as one of his greatest sources of encouragement throughout his basketball journey.
Elisabeth also has an extensive healthcare background. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and previously worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and pediatrics.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and later completed graduate training to become a family nurse practitioner.
Long before Duncan became an NBA player, Elisabeth was also directly involved in his basketball development.
Elisabeth Robinson Coached Duncan as a Child
Elisabeth coached Duncan’s basketball team when he was in third grade.
Her coaching approach focused not only on basketball skills but also on good habits and sportsmanship.
One exercise involved covering the lower portion of players’ protective glasses with tape so they would learn to dribble without constantly looking down at the basketball.
She also emphasized the importance of respecting teammates and opponents.
Those lessons remained part of the discipline Duncan carried into his professional career.
Elisabeth continued supporting him even after she stopped coaching his teams.
Robinson has revealed that his mother regularly sends him encouraging messages before games, often reminding him simply to “be you.”
According to Robinson, she became one of the most consistently positive voices throughout his basketball career.
How Duncan Robinson’s Mother Helped Him Reach the NBA
Elisabeth’s influence became particularly important after Robinson completed his career at Michigan.
Robinson went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, leaving him with an uncertain professional future.
He had to decide whether to pursue an opportunity overseas or continue attempting to reach the NBA.
Elisabeth encouraged her son to continue betting on himself and pursue the NBA dream he had worked toward for years.
Robinson followed that advice.
He joined the Miami Heat for NBA Summer League and eventually signed a two-way contract.
He progressed from the NBA G League to Miami’s rotation and ultimately became one of the best three-point shooters in franchise history.
That journey made his mother’s early encouragement particularly meaningful because Robinson repeatedly succeeded after stages when his career could easily have moved in another direction.
Does Duncan Robinson Have Siblings?
Yes. Duncan Robinson grew up with two older siblings: a sister named Marta Robinson Day and a brother named Eli Robinson.
Duncan is the youngest of Jeffrey and Elisabeth Robinson’s three children.
His siblings played major roles in his childhood, particularly because the family regularly played sports together while growing up in New Hampshire.
Duncan Robinson’s Sister: Marta Robinson Day
Marta Robinson Day is Duncan Robinson’s older sister and the oldest of the three Robinson children.
Marta was an athlete herself and played water polo at Santa Clara University.
Growing up with older athletic siblings gave Duncan opportunities to compete against stronger and more experienced family members from a young age.
During cold New Hampshire winters, the Robinson siblings sometimes moved furniture inside the family home so they could continue playing basketball indoors.
Marta later pursued a professional career away from competitive sports.
She became a licensed mental health counselor and has worked in the mental-health field.
Marta Robinson Day and the Robinson Family Foundation
Marta now works closely with Duncan and Caroline through the Robinson Family Foundation.
The foundation was created after deeply personal experiences affected both sides of Duncan and Caroline’s families.
Marta’s professional background in mental health has made her particularly connected to the foundation’s work supporting mental wellness and access to care.
The foundation identifies Duncan Robinson, Caroline Nava and Marta Robinson Day among its founders.
Its work focuses on three broad areas: mental health, heart health and physical well-being.
Duncan Robinson’s Brother: Eli Robinson
Eli Robinson was Duncan Robinson’s older brother and the middle of the three Robinson siblings.
Duncan has repeatedly described Eli as one of the people he admired most while growing up.
The brothers were approximately three and a half years apart and shared many interests during childhood, including animals, outdoor activities and basketball.
They also spent part of their youth competing together and eventually overlapped as high-school basketball teammates.
As Duncan’s basketball career progressed, Eli became one of his younger brother’s strongest supporters.
Duncan has said that Eli proudly embraced being his biggest fan even after Duncan became the sibling who reached professional basketball.
Duncan Robinson’s Brother Eli Died in 2025
Eli Robinson died in 2025 after experiencing serious mental-health challenges during the later years of his life.
His death had a profound impact on Duncan, Marta and their parents.
Rather than keeping their experience entirely private, the Robinson family decided to use Eli’s memory as part of a broader effort to help families facing mental-health challenges.
The family subsequently developed the Robinson Family Foundation, which supports mental-health awareness, access to care and other wellness initiatives.
Duncan has spoken about his brother with deep affection, describing Eli as an inspiration and someone he looked up to throughout his life.
The Robinson Family Foundation
The Robinson Family Foundation has become an important part of Duncan Robinson’s life away from basketball.
The organization was created from several experiences that directly affected the Robinson and Nava families.
Eli’s life inspired its focus on mental health, while the recovery journey of Caroline’s father, Robert, helped shape its commitment to heart health and stroke recovery.
The foundation organizes its work around three pillars: mind, heart and body.
Its mental-health programs focus on awareness and access to support, while its heart-health efforts assist organizations involved in cardiovascular education, recovery and caregiver support.
The physical-wellness portion promotes active lifestyles and community participation.
Duncan, Caroline and Marta are all directly involved with the organization.
Duncan Robinson’s Family and His New Hampshire Childhood
Robinson grew up in New Castle, New Hampshire, a small coastal community near Portsmouth.
His childhood environment was dramatically different from that of many future NBA players.
Robinson’s sixth-grade graduating class at Maude H. Trefethen Elementary School reportedly contained only four students.
Sports therefore became an important activity within the Robinson household.
Duncan frequently played with Eli and Marta, and their parents encouraged all three children to remain active.
During the winter months, when outdoor basketball became difficult because of the New England weather, the siblings sometimes created an improvised basketball space inside their home.
Those countless informal games helped Duncan develop the competitiveness that later became important to his basketball career.
Duncan Robinson’s Unlikely Basketball Journey
Robinson was not immediately regarded as an elite basketball prospect.
He attended The Governor’s Academy in Massachusetts before completing a postgraduate season at Phillips Exeter Academy.
Even after showing significant improvement, his major-college opportunities were limited.
He enrolled at Division III Williams College and immediately became one of the best young players at that level.
Robinson earned Division III Rookie of the Year honors and helped Williams reach the national championship game.
After his freshman season, he transferred to Michigan.
The jump from Division III to one of college basketball’s largest programs was extremely unusual, but Robinson eventually became an important player for the Wolverines.
He helped Michigan reach the NCAA championship game in 2018 and finished his college career among the program’s leading three-point shooters.
Duncan Robinson’s NBA Career
Despite his success at Michigan, Robinson was not selected in the 2018 NBA Draft.
He joined the Miami Heat organization and initially split time between the NBA and the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League.
Robinson eventually earned a permanent roster position and became one of Miami’s most important outside shooters.
He helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals in 2020 and again in 2023.
His success was particularly remarkable because he became the first former Division III player to appear in an NBA game in nearly two decades.
After seven seasons in Miami, Robinson joined the Detroit Pistons in 2025.
He remained with Detroit for the 2025-26 season and provided veteran shooting alongside the Pistons’ younger core.
Duncan Robinson’s Charity Work in Detroit
Robinson’s charitable activities expanded after his move to Detroit.
In May 2026, the NBA named him the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for April.
The league recognized Robinson for work involving youth wellness, mental-health awareness, stroke-recovery support and community programs in Detroit.
The NBA and NBPA Foundation also provided a donation to the Robinson Family Foundation in recognition of his community work.
The award demonstrated how the personal experiences of Robinson and his family had developed into a larger effort to assist other families.
Frequently Asked Questions About Duncan Robinson’s Family
Who is Duncan Robinson’s wife?
Duncan Robinson’s wife is Caroline Nava. The longtime couple became engaged in February 2025 and married later that year in Comporta, Portugal.
Who is Caroline Nava?
Caroline Nava is Duncan Robinson’s wife. She has worked in real estate and is also a founder of the Robinson Family Foundation, where she is particularly involved with heart-health and stroke-recovery initiatives.
When did Duncan Robinson get married?
Duncan Robinson and Caroline Nava married in 2025 after announcing their engagement in February of that year.
Does Duncan Robinson have children?
There are no publicly confirmed reports that Duncan Robinson has children.
Who are Duncan Robinson’s parents?
Duncan Robinson’s parents are Jeffrey Robinson and Elisabeth Robinson.
Who is Duncan Robinson’s father?
Duncan Robinson’s father is Jeffrey Robinson. He played one season of college basketball as a walk-on at the University of Maine and helped encourage his son’s basketball ambitions.
Who is Duncan Robinson’s mother?
Duncan Robinson’s mother is Elisabeth Robinson, a board-certified family nurse practitioner who also coached Duncan in youth basketball and remained one of his strongest supporters throughout his career.
How many siblings does Duncan Robinson have?
Duncan Robinson grew up with two older siblings: sister Marta Robinson Day and brother Eli Robinson.
Who is Duncan Robinson’s sister?
Duncan Robinson’s sister is Marta Robinson Day. She played water polo at Santa Clara University, later became a licensed mental health counselor and is involved with the Robinson Family Foundation.
Who was Duncan Robinson’s brother?
Duncan Robinson’s older brother was Eli Robinson. Eli was one of Duncan’s biggest childhood influences and strongest supporters. He died in 2025 after years of serious mental-health challenges, and his memory became an important inspiration behind the Robinson Family Foundation.
Where is Duncan Robinson from?
Duncan Robinson was born in York, Maine, and grew up in New Castle, New Hampshire.
Candida Lucia is a sports journalist and NBA writer specializing in tactical game analysis, player development, and league coverage. With an eye for on-court execution and team dynamics, she delivers detailed breakdowns of strategy, roster updates, and key performance trends. Passionate about bringing readers closer to the game, Candida offers engaging insights on every aspect of the NBA season, from regular-season battles to the Finals.
