On the special bond between Mitchell Robinson and his high school coach: 'Anything you need'

The funeral for Dawn Marie Stockton was supposed to start in 15 minutes. Stockton’s immediate family met in a quiet room for a private viewing. In that moment, Dawn’s husband — William ‘Butch’ Stockton — needed someone outside of the family by his side.

"I asked Mitch to stay with us," Stockton says. "He stayed there like family; he was right there by me."

Mitchell Robinson stood with Stockton in his final private moments with Dawn. Robinson had his arm around Stockton, his high school coach, as he walked down the aisle of the funeral home. During the service, Robinson sat on the first pew next to Stockton.

"Anything you need, I want you to know I’m here for you," the Knicks center told his coach.

When Stockton walked to the lectern to deliver Dawn’s eulogy, he felt internal strength from his wife. He then looked at Robinson, seated a few feet away.

"He definitely gave me strength at that time," Stockton says of Robinson. "He was my person to lean on that day."

Robinson and Stockton have leaned on one another for strength and support throughout this NBA season. After Dawn’s funeral, Robinson insisted that Stockton live with him in New York. "He helped me get to where I'm at, so it's the least that I can do," Robinson said late last year.

Days later, Stockton was there for Robinson as the 26-year-old navigated a crushing injury to his foot. The injury threatened to cut short the best season of Robinson’s career.

"I felt so bad for him, especially with the start he had; I could see him having a monster year," Stockton says. "After that happened, he just wanted to be back on the basketball court."

As you know, Robinson eventually made it back to the court. He was cleared to play less than four months after surgery. He returned for the Knicks’ final 10 regular season games. As the Knicks prepare for Game 1 against Philadelphia, Robinson is working to improve his conditioning; he’s still getting his timing back.

It won’t be all the way back by Saturday, when the Knicks host the Sixers in the opener of their first-round series.

But Robinson will give everything he has to help slow Joel Embiid.

"I’m just so glad that he made it back from this (injury)," Stockton says.

***

In some ways, it’s surreal that Robinson and Stockton have reached this moment. They almost never met.

Stockton remembers getting a call from his athletic director at Chalmette High School, David Brossette, one day in 2015. One of Brossette’s contacts spotted a "tall young man" walking around St. Bernard Parish. Neither Brossette nor Stockton knew of anyone that fit the description.

"So I got in my car and went to the area where it was; Mitch had just left," Stockton says.

Undeterred, Stockton found Robinson’s mother, Kesha Hall, and told her about the benefits of Chalmette High School.

"She was very impressed with the academics of the school," Stockton recalls. "She made it clear that education was a top priority."

Robinson visited the school while he was home on Easter break. He enrolled that summer. And the rest is history. Robinson dominated both ends of the court for Chalmette. He earned a bid to the McDonald’s All-America game and the Jordan Brand Classic.

After committing to Western Kentucky, Robinson decided to forgo school and prepare for the 2018 NBA Draft.

The Knicks — then led by Steve Mills and Scott Perry — were well aware of Robinson’s immense potential.

On draft night, they took him with the sixth pick of the second round. Fast forward roughly five years, and Robinson is on the floor at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, dominating the Cavs en route to the Knicks’ first playoff series win in a decade. He was the most valuable Knick in the series.

"He’s the best offensive rebounder in the league," Tom Thibodeau said after the Knicks closed out the Cavs.

That offseason, Robinson was preparing for training camp when tragedy struck. He got a call from Stockton in late August with the news that Dawn had colon cancer.

"Coach, I’ll be right there," Robinson said.

He was with Stockton at 8 a.m. the next day to visit Dawn at the hospital. And he was there the next day and the day after that, to comfort his coach and support a woman who cared for him like a family member.

Dawn and Butch were always available to support Robinson — both during and after his Chalmette career.

"My relationship to Mitch wasn’t just a coach and player relationship," says Stockton, a 2019 inductee into the Louisiana Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. "I felt like he was one of my own."

The bond between Dawn and Robinson was just as strong.

No matter where he was during the NBA offseason, Robinson made sure to be back in Louisiana for Dawn’s birthdays. In August 2022, he surprised Dawn with an impromptu visit on her birthday.

A year later, Robinson was by Dawn’s side as she battled cancer.

"She always just looked up at him and smiled," Stockton says of Dawn during Robinson’s hospital visits. "I’ll never forget, one day she grabbed Mitch’s hand and said, 'Look, when y'all play the Pelicans on Oct. 28, I’m going to be there.'"

Days later, Dawn died at home with Stockton by her side, less than three weeks after the cancer diagnosis.

Stockton relayed the news to Robinson over the phone.

"Coach, anything you need, I’m here," Robinson said. "Don’t you worry about nothin', because I’m here for you."

***

Stockton left Louisiana the following month to live with Robinson.

They’d watch movies, go out to dinner from time to time. In late November, Robinson brought Stockton with him to Minnesota; the Knicks' road game overlapped with the coach’s birthday.

"He's a great guy, he helped me get to where I'm at," Robinson said earlier this season. "... So it works out for the best. I can help him out like he helped me."

In New York, Stockton rode with Robinson to each Knicks home game.

He sat near the court for shootaround, retreating to his seat before tipoff.

"Being able to get back to basketball, being at the game, watching the game, I think it’s the medicine that I needed," Stockton says.

Knicks president Leon Rose, executive vice president William Wesley, and Allan Houston, the vice president of player leadership and development, would seek Stockton out before games.

"They’d talk to me all the time, and it just made you feel good," Stockton says.

After the game, he’d ride with Robinson back to his house. He’s 1,300 miles away from the Louisiana home he shared with his late wife. But Stockton believes Dawn would approve of his new living situation.

"I think right now, my wife is overlooking Mitch and I both; I just feel like this is what she wants," the coach says.

***

Stockton will be courtside during pregame warmups and he’ll be in his familiar seat for Game 1 against the Sixers.

Maybe there will be a moment when fatigue sets in for Robinson. When chasing Embiid takes its toll.

If he needs strength, Robinson can just look in the stands, a few rows behind the visitors bench. Stockton will be there for him.