Mitchell Robinson has been with the Knicks through the lean years, the rebuild, and the rise, so when New York finished off its first championship in 53 years on Saturday night, the moment hit him with full force.
“Dreams come true,” Robinson said after the Knicks beat the Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. “Man, I’ve been here, well, we have won 17 games, and we won 60 games. And to finally be able to get it done in 2026, after all the journey that I’ve been on and with the team and stuff like that, and it’s just been amazing. This is an amazing feeling.”
As the longest-tenured Knick on the roster, Robinson said he had watched the franchise’s turnaround unfold piece by piece.
“I seen a recipe being made to finally get this thing done,” he said. “Had a lot of great players come through there and stuff like that. So to be a part of this and, you know, again, to be an NBA champion today, it’s insane.”
The title also brought out a more playful side of Robinson. When asked about his pregame routine and what it meant for the team’s weekend, he smiled through the moment.
“It’s gonna do a lot,” Robinson said. “And you know what’s crazy? Yesterday at the hotel I caught a snake.”
He laughed as he connected the superstition to the Knicks’ path through the postseason.
“Yeah, b*tch. Again, I caught,” Robinson said. “We got you, yeah, man. Yeah, when I caught a snake in the beginning of the playoffs, when we played Atlanta, we won. I caught one last night and we won today. So I think it’s something about snakes.”
Robinson also made it clear that he noticed the contribution from the Knicks’ younger depth pieces, including Ariel Hukporti, who gave the team two impact minutes in Game 5.
“His mindset, keeping ready to go,” Robinson said. “He got in, like you just said, two minutes and got a big block, challenging everything at the rim, and we needed that.”
Robinson said the big man’s ability to stay prepared mattered even with limited playing time.
“I got a little winded, KAT was in foul trouble, and he stepped up real big,” he said. “So, I mean, for a player to not really get that much playing time and to stay locked like that, that means a lot. You know what I mean? So he’s gonna continue to do his thing.”
The same praise came when the conversation turned to Jalen Brunson, who delivered 45 points in the closeout win and set a Knicks Finals record.
“It was unreal,” Robinson said. “I mean, literally just unreal, like I’m speechless. I mean, I’ve seen him a couple of times here and there, but to do it in the closeout game against a good team like that, it’s different.”
Robinson said Brunson’s presence steadied the group throughout the championship run.
“His mindset, he kept us connected and just ready to go,” Robinson said.
He also reflected on how much Brunson has changed the organization since arriving four years ago.
“His mindset, his work ethic, his energy that he just brings,” Robinson said. “He just brings joy and we need that. When stuff gets rough, we have a little sit down talk and he get us back on track as a leader, like a captain.”
Robinson’s journey from the Knicks’ 17-win days to a championship has now reached its peak. For him, the finish line was not just a title, but proof that patience, belief and work could turn a long rebuild into something real.
“It’s just been truly amazing,” he said. “I mean, there’s really no words I can really put here.”
