George Vecsey writes about Robin's battle with breast cancer.

Roberts praises the contemporary superstars who play the game right up near the basket. She doubts she would have been good enough to play in the W.N.B.A., but traces her survival to her life as an athlete.

“To be honest, as an athlete, I was annoyed with my body,” she said.

“I took such good care of it. I felt it had let me down. My doctor said, ‘It won’t help you avoid cancer, but it will help you kick its butt,’ and that’s just what I did.”