Mitchell Robinson has been a stalwart in the paint for the New York Knicks this season. He’s been blocking shots, imposing his will and most importantly “bounding and astounding”, as Clyde Frazier would say. The stats speak for themselves.
What doesn’t appear on the stat sheet is his overall presence and his hustle. Standing at 7’1″ with a 9’4″ standing reach, opposing teams have to figure out a way to operate around him. Whether he’s disrupting shots or not, you have to know where he is on the court. He’s been particularly effective in defending the pick & roll, where he simply takes up a ton of space and has been steadily improving his spatial awareness over the years. Add in his high motor, alongside the inability to quit on the play and he’s the complete package at center. Head coach Tom Thibodeau hasn’t been shy in singing his praises.
Robinson only started playing basketball in 8th grade, prior to bouncing around to a few high schools in Florida. He finally found a home at Chalmette High School in Lousiana, after being recruited in unconventional fashion by Chalmette head coach Butch Stockton.
Butch and his wife, Dawn, took a liking to Robinson right from the jump. They appreciated his quiet nature, respectful demeanor and relentless work ethic. With the Owls and under Butch, Robinson averaged 25.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots as a senior. He became the first Chalmette player to be named a McDonald’s All-American, while leading the team to their first district championship in 20 years.
When Robinson was drafted by the Knicks in 2018, the Stocktons hosted a draft party for him and led the charge in celebrating his accomplishments. Apparently, Butch had conversations with the Knicks regarding the best way to coach Robinson and unlock his true potential.
Unfortunately, disaster struck this past August, when Dawn became ill and entered the hospital. Robinson frequently visited, in support of his friends that became family.
On September 13th, Dawn passed and Robinson continued to stand in solidarity with the family. He attended the funeral and walked in lockstep with Butch throughout. Following the funeral, Robinson went one step further and invited Butch to be his roommate in New York.
Fast forward to last week, when Rebecca Haarlow of MSG Networks broke the heartwarming story with Butch live on the broadcast of Knicks vs. Pistons.
The clip went viral on X, with people coming out in droves to appreciate the kindness of Robinson and share how they were touched. It was awesome to see the internet rally around a story that wasn’t the typical doom-and-gloom clickbait.
When he was prompted by a crowd of reporters, Robinson was nonchalant and acted like his gesture was nothing out of the ordinary, as simple as boxing out and grabbing a rebound.
One of the coolest aspects of this story to me is the timeline. Robinson told reporters Stockton has been living with him since September, but this story only broke on Thursday of last week. None of this was for social media clout, all of it from the goodness of his heart.
Separately, not sure how anyone’s reaction to this story is demanding explanations from Robinson regarding his social media activity, but that’s the world we live in I guess.
School Of Mitch
I’ll be honest, I’m a little late to this one. This story has essentially already been put on the shelf. Between the in-season tournament and off the court drama, the NBA has been a soap opera this year. Naturally, the news cycle rages on.
I felt like Robinson’s hospitality is worth highlighting again because it’s jam packed with good vibes, valuable lessons and wholesome takeaways. I’ll share a few of mine:
- Remember who was there for you before it was convenient and pay it forward.
- Helping by taking action always beats offering up an empty “let me know if you need anything”.
- As far as media is concerned, uplifting news can get clicks and engagement too!
Those, along with the obvious – Mitchell Robinson is an amazing soul, salt of the earth human being and hopefully a Knick for life.
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