From getting drafted in the St. Bernard Parish Civic Center to one of the biggest stages in sports in the most prestigious arena, Madison Square Garden.
Mitchell Robinson carved out a path in the NBA through his dominant presence on the glass, his mobility, and his shot-blocking ability.
Skills that he refined in the Chalmette gym as an Owl under longtime coach Butch Stockton.
“I knew he had the talent, and I want to make sure that we got it out of him,” Stockton said. “I felt like Mitch was the first one in the gym every day, the last one to leave the gym, and he was determined to be the best.”
Since hearing his name called at the 2018 NBA draft, Robinson has become a staple for the New York Knicks, who are riding an 11-game win streak on their quest for history.
“Chalmette loves the New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Pelicans, but right now I think Chalmette and St. Bernard Parish is a New York Knicks town,” Stockton said. “You know because Mitchell went straight from Chalmette High School and went straight to an NBA,”
A big man with a big skillset but also a big heart. Mitchell Robinson’s intertwined story with Chalmette and Butch Stockton goes beyond the basketball court.
“I remember when my wife was in that bed in the hospital, he was the first one to see her. I remember him holding her hand, she said Mitchell, when you come to New Orleans, I’m going to be there to watch the game but in my mind that time, I knew it probably wasn’t going to be. But he took the time off himself during his off time to make sure each day he went by the hospital and visited with Dawn and I will always respect him for that,” the Chalmette coach said.
After a battle with cancer in 2023, sadly, Dawn passed.
“At Dawn’s funeral, you know, I felt like he was family, so I walked down the aisle with him,” Stockton said. “He had his arm around me. I went to sit in a pew, and he said coach, I got you. Don’t worry. He said, “I really want you to come to New York.”
Stockton not only moved to New York City, but he moved in with Robinson, a situation that worked for both.
“We built up a special bond, then Mitchell got hurt. He and I were with each other. Here is he hurt. Here I am grieving over my wife. I just felt like at that time we needed each other.”
Butch Stockton will spend the Finals watching Robinson in famed Madison Square Garden, hoping he’s there as the kid from Chalmette makes history.
“Everybody knows that I’m pulling for the Knicks hard, and I want us to win. I want to see Mitchell Robinson walk across that stage with a NBA Finals Championship ring. It would be one of the greatest thrills of my life,” Stockton said.
READ MORE:The emotional connection between Chalmette coach Butch Stockton and Knicks star Mitchell Robinson
