Virtually everyone in Nate Robinson's family — and seemingly everyone he has ever met, as well — was crammed into his mother's three-story house in south Seattle yesterday to watch the NBA Draft.

And when the moment they all came to see finally arrived and every dream Robinson had ever held during those days at Rainier Beach and the University of Washington had come true, he felt the presence of one who couldn't be there.

A younger brother, Deron Isaiah Robinson, who died of SIDS in 1997, was born on the 21st of May. So when it came time for the 21st pick of the first round of the NBA draft yesterday, Robinson had a feeling something was about to happen.

David Stern had barely said the word "Nate" when the house exploded in a cheer that Robinson said was as loud as any he had ever heard, rivaled only by the day at Edmundson Pavilion last March when the Huskies received a No. 1 seed to the NCAA tournament.

"I think this is a sign to me," Robinson said of the fact that his place in the draft and Deron's birthday are the same.

Phoenix held the 21st pick and family members and friends had just begun discussing the prospect of Nate playing alongside Steve Nash when Robinson's phone rang and he quickly shouted, "I'm going to New York," after being told by his agent that he was being traded to the Knicks.

Robinson was in limbo for a few hours, but after the draft it was announced that he had been traded by the Suns to the Knicks as part of a deal also sending guard Quentin Richardson to New York and forward Kurt Thomas to Phoenix.

"That's big-time basketball, man, that's the Mecca," said his father, Jacque Robinson, a former UW running back who had helped convince his son to give up football in 2002 to concentrate on basketball.

"I always knew he had the talent. That's why I told him if he dedicated himself to one sport that he can do it. There's no way he can do this if he plays two sports."

Robinson was one of a record three graduates of Washington high schools taken in the first round, following North Carolina's Marvin Williams of Bremerton (No. 2 to Atlanta) and Seattle Prep's Martell Webster (No. 6 to Portland).

The only other player with in-state ties selected was Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf, taken No. 37 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. Huskies Tre Simmons and Will Conroy were not selected and both will likely sign free-agent deals. Simmons had been expected by some draft analysts to be a late second-round pick, while most figured Conroy would go undrafted.

Robinson was the first UW player taken in the first round since Chris Welp, who was the No. 16 pick in 1987. Yesterday's news also silenced the critics who said a player of his stature — he's listed at 5 feet 9 but has been measured at 5-7 ¾ — couldn't become a first-round pick and made moot the argument that Robinson picked the wrong year to enter the draft. He left UW with a year remaining and some wondered if he had blundered in entering a draft loaded with guards.

Some wondered if he should have left a year ago after a strong pre-draft camp in Chicago. But Robinson felt coming back paid off.

"I don't doubt myself," Robinson said. "I'm happy with the decision I made."

Robinson worked out with the Knicks on June 22 and said he got a good vibe from team president Isiah Thomas, himself a former point guard.

"When I was working out, he was talking to me a lot, saying that he liked my game and that I was going to get drafted," Robinson said. "And then he smiled at me. There was a little bond there."

In New York, he will join another former Rainier Beach High star, Jamal Crawford — the two were teammates on the Vikings for a season, in 1999, when Robinson was a freshman.

"He's going to show me the ropes, help me with all the things I need help with," Robinson said. "It will be like playing at home."

Robinson is also well acquainted through his Pac-10 days with two other Knicks picks — Arizona's Channing Frye and UCLA's Dijon Thompson.

Jacque Robinson, however, will likely ensure Nate isn't lonely, saying he plans to move to New York. Nate Robinson said a cousin and another brother might move to New York as well.

All were with Robinson yesterday to wait out the draft. A family friend made special T-shirts commemorating the day and all 120 were gone shortly after the draft started. For most of the first 20 picks, Robinson flitted around the room in the same manner he harassed so many opposing guards during his time at UW, saying hello to friends and offering a few comments on the picks.

When it came time for pick No. 20 held by Denver — another team with whom he had a good workout — he gathered several family members and huddled close to the big-screen TV in the living room.

"I knew it was going to be somewhere around 20 to 30, so that's when I paid more attention," he said.

In the center of the raucous celebration once the pick was made was Robinson's mother, Renee Busch, who was holding Robinson's son, 8-month-old Nahmier.

"We've all come a long way," said Busch, who said she will continue to work the three regular jobs she has held for years despite the fact that the family gained a good measure of economic security yesterday. By being selected in the first round, Robinson will be given a two-year guaranteed contract — last year's No. 21 pick, Pavel Podkolzine of Utah, got a three-year deal worth $2.85 million.

Jacque Robinson, though, said he wasn't worried about his son being blinded by money or New York's bright lights.

"He's always been grounded as far as money," Jacque said. "He hasn't been talking about buying Ferraris. For him, it's all about family, so I'm not worried about all the other stuff that comes with that."