New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson Center of Heartwarming Story

Mitchell Robinson has offered a helping hand to his high school basketball coach, who is living with the New York Knicks' starting center.

Mitchell Robinson is known for rejections. But an act of welcoming might well go down as his most impactful and greatest move of all.

The New York Knicks' starting center and defensive energizer has had an old ... and new ... teammate working with him through the 2023-24 season in the form of William "Butch" Stockton. Well-known for his endeavors as a head coach on the Louisiana high school basketball circuit, Stockton has been living with Robinson, his former pupil at Chalmette High School since the September passing of his wife Dawn.

Stockton spoke about the arrangement in an interview with Rebecca Haarlow of MSG Network while Robinson competed in the Knicks' Thursday win over Detroit. After Robinson guided him through the end, he offered a new beginning in New York. 

"My wife passed away in September…in the hospital Mitchell came each day to visit her…After the funeral…Mitchell said 'Coach…you come to New York with me'"

— Louisiana Basketball Coaches Hall of Famer Butch Stockton, Mitchell Robinson's HS coach, to Rebecca Harlow pic.twitter.com/uZsbgOSZMk

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) December 1, 2023

"When my wife was in the hospital, Mitchell came each day to visit her (and) became very close to myself and my wife," Stockton recalled. "After the funeral, Mitchell told everyone that he was going to bring me to New York with him."

“He said, ‘Coach there’s no reason you stay down here in Louisiana anymore. You come to New York with me and enjoy yourself and get your mind back straight because you know how much you loved your wife.’"

Robinson played his senior high school at Chalmette after transferring from Pine Forest (FL) High School in his hometown of Pensacola. Under Stockton's watch, Robinson made a further name for himself and guided Chalmette to its first district title in over two decades. For his senior year efforts, Robinson earned McDonald's All-American honors, becoming the first in the school's history named to the list.

Mitchell Robinson Breaks a Lasting Knicks Curse

After forgoing college to instead train for the NBA Draft, Robinson joined the Knicks as the 36th overall pick in 2018. As it stands, Robinson is the longest-tenured New Yorker on the current roster and is off to the best start of his career: entering Friday's action, the sixth-year man is averaging 11.2 rebounds a game and is by far the NBA's most efficient offensive rebounder at a total of 104.

Robinson and the Knicks (11-7) are back in action on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).