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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Kalbrosky

Mitchell Robinson’s roommate is his former high school coach and the reason why is so sweet

Mitchell Robinson has a special relationship with Butch Stockton, who was his basketball coach at Chalmette High School in Louisiana.

Stockton watched as Robinson helped lead the Knicks to a victory on Thursday night and during the broadcast, the high school basketball coach spoke about his relationship with the big man.

The coach unfortunately lost his wife, Dawn, after a battle with cancer. Robinson’s most recent post on Twitter was a tribute to her.

Here is more from Stockton, who explained that he is currently living with Robinson:

“My wife passed away in September….When my wife was in the hospital, Mitchell came each day to visit her and became very close to myself and my wife. 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 for you to stay down here in Louisiana anymore. You come to New York with me and enjoy yourself and get your mind back straight.'”

The coach described it as a “great situation” living with Robinson.

Later in the game, Robinson connected on both of his free-throw attempts and the Knicks broadcast showed Stockton celebrating in the crowd.

After the game, Robinson said Stockton “looked out” for him and helped him get to where he is today.

Robin said he plans for Stockton to live with him for the rest of the year.

For more on how Stockton helped Robinson when the big man was in high school, Mike Vorkunov had a fantastic profile (via The Athletic):

“Robinson was raw but obviously talented. Stockton lined up tutoring and found teachers who took care of him, ensuring he focused on academics, too. On the court, Stockton tried to get Robinson to harness his many skills. He was already a 7-footer who could run and jump and finish with a smoothness that belied his size, so they began to work on his ball-handling and his shot. Major college coaches sieged Chalmette practices.”

According to Vorkunov, the Knicks center still keeps several pairs of shoes and other personal items at the high school in Louisiana.

Robinson’s relationship with his coach and his alma mater is inspirational.

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