Mitchell Robinson, a 7-foot center for the New York Knicks, is well-known for his ability to block shots and collect rebounds. However, in an in-game interview on Thursday, his roommate and former high school coach showed how large of a heart he has.
Butch Stockton said during the Knicks broadcast how Robinson would see his wife Dawn every day while she was in the hospital and then urge his former coach to come in with him after she passed away in September. Stockton, who coached the big man for the Knicks at Chalmette High School in Louisiana, said that Robinson suggested the idea to him after her funeral.
“Coach, there’s no reason to remain in Louisiana,’ he added. You know how much you loved your wife, so come to New York with me, have fun, and clear your head,” Stockton said. “It’s just been a great situation.”
According to an online obituary posted by AL.com, Dawn Stockton, who was married to Butch for 31 years, passed away at the age of 70 after a fight with metastatic cancer.
Robinson told reporters after the game that his coach is a “great guy” who helped him “go to where I’m at.” Robinson pulled down nine rebounds and scored six points in the Knicks’ victory against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.
“It turns out to be beneficial,” Robinson said. “I help him out, he helped me.” For the remainder of the year, Robinson added, his coach will live with him.
According to Stockton’s statement from 2018, he became aware of a “tall kid walking in the neighborhood” after Robinson and his family’s relocation to St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. He approached him about joining his high school basketball team, and after speaking with his mother, the adolescent decided to enroll. Robinson would “have a chance to make it” to the next level of basketball, he claimed to have assured Robinson.
“One thing I tell everyone, Mitchell Robinson was always the first one in the gym, every day, and the last one to leave the gym every day,” Stockton said to MSG Networks.
After being selected by the Knicks in the 2018 NBA Draft, Robinson continued to play for the club and became one of the league’s top offensive rebounders.
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