MANCHESTER – Former 2017 Manchester Township graduate and basketball standout Lybrant (LJ) Robinson Jr. has come a long way since his days playing on the courts of Manchester High School. He has expanded his basketball career on the world court.
He has played on teams in Canada, Spain and Africa. He has been playing basketball in Quanzhou, China adding another chapter to his international résumé while continuing to pursue long-term stability and growth in his career. Robinson has gone from a division III standout to a self-made professional playing across multiple continents.
After a decorated collegiate career that included a college championship, First Team All-Conference honors, and surpassing the 1,000-point scoring milestone – among numerous other accolades he successfully transitioned to the professional ranks.
Robinson said his professional career started in 2023 by competing in the African Next League. That is where he gained valuable experience adjusting to new systems, physical styles of play, and diverse basketball cultures. His time in Africa played a key role in developing his global basketball awareness and versatility.
The young athlete then continued competing in The Basketball League (TBL), one of the top minor professional basketball leagues in the United States outside of the NBA and NBA G League. His time in the TBL served as a foundational step, competing in the United States as well as Canada allowed him to adapt to the professional game and elevate his approach both on and off the court.
Following these experiences, Robinson bridged his journey into Europe, spending time in Spain, where he competed and worked out with teams across the third and fourth divisions. These opportunities further sharpened his game and exposed him to the tactical and team-oriented style of European basketball.
He told The Manchester Times, “my time out of the country, off the court, has honestly been an expansion of my mindset and an expansion of me as a person – mentally and physically. Traveling has allowed me to break boundaries and stereotypes you sometimes grow up hearing as a Westerner. It’s pushed me out of my shell. My networking and social skills have improved tenfold.”
“Living in places where English is not the primary language – like Spain, parts of Africa, and now most recently China – has been eye-opening. I’ve been in China for about six months and have built a plethora of friendships, both basketball and non-basketball related. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that connection doesn’t always require words,” he added.
The athlete observed that “a lot of relationships are built off unspoken understanding – vibes, energy, mutual respect. That has carried many of my experiences abroad. I live by the quote: ‘You have to see more to be more.’ Traveling outside of your hometown, home state, and eventually your home country expands your perspective.”
“Once you realize how big the world truly is, it naturally raises your standards for what you want out of life. I’ve experienced a lot of belief – from coaches, teammates, and even strangers – in environments far from home, and that belief fuels me,” Robinson noted.
Regarding his future plans he said his goal was to continue elevating into “higher, more credible leagues – whether overseas or in America. A major overseas league or The NBA G League and eventually a two-way. An NBA contract is absolutely on my radar. Within the next two years, I see myself making a significant jump into one of those pipelines.”
Recalling his days at Manchester High School, he said “the encouragement I received was honestly little to none when it came to basketball at the next level. In hindsight I realize a lot of the support was proximity based but in reality, I don’t think many people truly believed I could turn professional coming from Manchester. My support came through my family and with that I was able to be one of the few who broke the mold in that sense.”
Robinson said, “I had opportunities (Real Mid-High Division Scholarships) in track and cross country and was more heavily recruited in those areas, but my heart was always with basketball. I chose to bet on myself and go Division III and make something out of nothing.”
“I started at a program that went 5–25 my freshman year, and after transferring to a new school we built it into multiple 20-win seasons. I became First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Metropolitan, First-Team All-Division III, won Tournament MVP, and helped win the first championship in school history,” he added.
Robinson noted, “In many ways, I helped open the door for more athletes from the New Jersey tri-state area to consider and attend Drew University. I don’t always get credit for shifting that narrative, but I’m proud of the impact.”
He also made another observation concerning his past. “Looking back at Manchester, I sometimes reflect on the false sense of security that can come with being a ‘big fish in a small pond.’ I was 1000+ point scorer (in three years) averaged 20 points per game, was a Monmouth Game Ball recipient, First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All–Sports Zone, and selected to the New Jersey Rider University state all-star game (one of the only selected from shore conference in 2017).”
“Yet athletes in other parts of the state with similar numbers received significantly more exposure and recruitment. At the time, I didn’t fully understand it. Politics, exposure, and social media played a major role from 2017–2020 as it was a changing of times in the sports world, and I was a bit behind that curve. But through the test of time, I’ve proven that I belonged on – or above – that level.”
He added, “that lack of spotlight made me humble and hungry. I knew it wasn’t that others were better; they simply had more visibility and support. Do I miss Manchester? I miss my family and the calm lifestyle at times but at 26, I’ve embraced being a journeyman.”
“My life right now is about chapters – being somewhere for a season, maximizing it, then moving forward when it’s time. In the next few years, I may find a place where I plant my feet long-term, but for now, growth requires movement and honestly, I wouldn’t change anything,” he added.
“Every obstacle, every doubt, every overlooked moment had to happen the way it did. It shaped my hunger, my resilience, and ultimately my path to becoming a professional.
With his career still unfolding, many milestones remain ahead. He stressed that his journey isn’t finished – “this is only the climb.”
