“Became very close to me ”: Mitchell Robinson’s ex-coach gets emotional while recalling Knicks center’s gesture after wife’s passing

Mitchell Robinson revealed a different side of him by inviting his high school coach, Butch Stockton, to move to New York and stay at his place. Stockton explained in an interview with Rebecca Harlow of the MSG Network how the situation came about.

According to Stockton, Robinson urged him to relocate from Louisiana to New York to encourage him to find solace and enjoyment in the city after his wife had passed away in September. The kind gesture came after Robinson frequently visited Stockton's wife in the hospital.

During the funeral, he told everyone that he was bringing back Stockton to New York to live with him.

"My wife in the hospital, Mitchell came each day to visit her and gave and became very close to myself and my wife. At the funeral, Mitchell told everyone he's going to bring me to New York with him because 'He said ‘Coach, no reason to stay down here in Louisiana. Come to New York with me and enjoy yourself, and get your mind back straight because you know how much you loved your wife,'" said Stockton during the interview.

The kind gesture of Mitchell Robinson to his high school coach resonated with fans as the duo's deep relationship went beyond the basketball court.

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Butch Stockton gave tough love to Mitchell Robinson in high school

Butch Stockton, who has had a coaching career dating back to the mid-70s, has expressed pride in seeing his former playees find success at a high level. His relationship with Mitchell Robinson is quite interesting, as he molded the Knicks center to be a valuable starter for his NBA team.

However, elevating Robinson to the next level is highly credited to Stockton. and he showed tough love to him. A former teammate of Robinson, Kris Arkenberg, now an assistant coach at East Tennessee State, talked about the time when Stockton coached Robinson.

“I was at a practice once and a little guard made a breakaway layup,” Arkenberg told NJ Advance Media. “Butch scolded him and told him he could have thrown it to Mitch off the backboard. I’d never heard a coach say that.”

Stockton was inducted into the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, while Mitchell Robinson became the 38th pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.

In the 2023-24 season, Robinson averaged 6.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in 17 games. In his first five seasons, he earned $23.5 million and signed a 4-year, $60 million that will keep him as a Knick until the 2025-26 season.