Mitchell Robinson was a man of few words that night eight years ago at the Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette.
Robinson, 20 years old at the time, had just heard his name called by the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA draft.
The 7-foot Robinson may be tall, but his answers were short, just like they always had been whenever he got interviewed after one of his stellar performances playing for Chalmette High.
When asked on draft night what he would bring to the Knicks, his answer was simple.
“Hopefully a ring,” he replied.
I remember my immediate thoughts.
“Of all the teams in the NBA, he’s going to New York City. I don’t know if a kid coming from a city of 22,000 people is going to be able to make it there, especially having to deal with the frenzy of the New York media.”
Boy, was I wrong.
Robinson, now the longest-tenured player on the Knicks roster, adjusted just fine.
Fast forward to 2026 and Robinson is just four wins away from getting that ring he talked about back in 2018. Robinson and the Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in a series that begins Wednesday night.
Robinson is a big reason why they are in the Finals for the first time since 1999. He’s also a big reason why Butch Stockton’s phone won’t stop ringing.
Some of the phone calls are interview requests from media members. Others are just folks from Chalmette wanting to talk about Robinson.
“It’s the biggest thing going on in Chalmette right now,” Stockton said. “Just excitement for Chalmette and St. Bernard Parish. Everybody is excited for Mitchell and everyone is pulling for the Knicks right now because they are seeing one of their own.”
It's been more than 20 years since a player from a high school in the New Orleans area appeared in an NBA Finals. You have to go all the way back to 2003 when St. Augustine grad Kerry Kittles played for the then-New Jersey Nets against the Spurs to find a local star in the NBA Finals. So it’s understandable why this is such a big deal.
“It don’t get no better than to be on the highest stage in basketball,” Stockton said. “This is like playing in the Super Bowl in football. I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Stockton isn’t surprised by what already has happened.
Robinson, who moved from Florida to Chalmette for his junior year, was considered one of the best players in the country by the time he graduated in 2017. One recruiting website had him ranked sixth nationally in the class, above future NBA stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Trae Young. Robinson was an easy choice for Metro Player of the Year by what was then The New Orleans Advocate after leading Chalmette to the Class 5A semifinals.
After his senior year at Chalmette, he took a year off to just train for the NBA.
“I always felt he had the build and the talent,” Stockton said. “He put a lot of work in. He was always the first one in the gym and the last one to leave.”
Vicki Nuccio was one of the teachers at Chalmette and stays in touch with Robinson. She remembers those days when Robinson had to duck his head whenever he entered his classrooms.
“People thought he was going to do well, but I don’t think many people thought he would be where he is now,” Nuccio said. “It’s surreal seeing it. I can’t pull up my Facebook page without someone sharing something about him.”
There’s plenty to share about Robinson. It could be one of his blocked shots or rim-rattling dunks that gets Knicks diehard fan Spike Lee standing on his feet. Or it could be just fans capturing Robinson leaving Madison Square Garden driving one of his tricked-out, custom monster trucks.
“I need a damn ladder to get in there,” Stockton said with a laugh.
Robinson owns six of the trucks that he helps design. Other than the fancy trucks and his 7-foot frame, you wouldn’t know Robinson was a key player for one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. He stays pretty low key.
“When you’re in the NBA, you obviously have the celebrity status,” Nuccio said. “But he doesn’t care about any of that. Mitchell loves his daughter, his trucks and playing basketball. That’s it. So he does well with the fame.”
Guy McInnis is a former St. Bernard Parish president and also was an assistant coach for Chalmette during Robinson’s junior year. McInnis also is getting several phone calls and hearing all of the buzz around town as the NBA Finals approach.
“I’m excited, but I’m also nervous because I want him to play well and represent well,” McInnis said. “When you’re watching somebody from your school, it makes you proud.”
Robinson, despite breaking his right pinky finger and having surgery since the Eastern Conference finals ended, is expected to play. It’s not clear when or how the injury occurred.
“I don’t think anything could keep Mitch from playing in The Finals,” Stockton said. “It’s once in a lifetime.”
The Knicks, seeking their first title since 1973, desperately need Robinson to play. He gives them a physical presence to deal with 7-foot-4 phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The Knicks and Spurs have played three times this season. The Knicks won the two games that Robinson played in and lost the one Robinson didn’t play. In the NBA Cup championship game, the finale of the In-Season Tournament, Robinson recorded 15 rebounds on a night Wembanyama finished with 18 points and six rebounds. The Knicks won the Cup championship 124-113. Now they have their eyes on an even bigger prize in a series that has several other ties to New Orleans.
Three of Robinson's teammates (Jose Alvarado, Josh Hart and Trey Jemison) once played for the New Orleans Pelicans. Alvarado, a fan favorite in New Orleans, was traded to the Knicks in February.
The Spurs also have New Orleans connections. Reserve center Kelly Olynyk played for the Pelicans at the end of last season. San Antonio starting guard De’Aaron Fox was born in New Orleans but moved to Houston when he was 4 years old.
But the folks in Chalmette are rooting for the Knicks for one reason and one reason only. Chalmette is Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood. He holds an annual camp there to give back to the kids.
"These kids, you can give them a dream, give them hope," Robinson said at his camp in 2024.
Now he's living his own dream, playing in the NBA Finals. Right after the finals, he'll hold his camp again on June 25.
“He’s been doing great things here for a while,” Nuccio said. “Now the whole world gets to see him. The whole parish will be watching.”
That includes a coach whose phone just won’t stop ringing.
“I hope he gets that ring,” Stockton said. “They are going crazy up there in New York about the Knicks.”
They are doing the same thing 1,300 miles away in Chalmette.