The 7-foot-tall center welcomed Stockton into his home after he lost his wife of 31 years to cancer
Coach Stockton: The athletes in your life 'need your support'
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson invited his former high school coach Butch Stockton to move in with him in New York. Stockton joins 'One Nation' to describe what Robinson's gesture means to him.
Sports have the power to transcend the court, and NBA player Mitchell Robinson is living proof of this.
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The emerging New York Knicks star invited his former high school basketball coach, Butch Stockton, to move in with him while he grieved the death of his wife, who passed suddenly in September of this year after 31 years of marriage.
Stockton joined host Brian Kilmeade on "One Nation" to dive deeper into Robinson's telling gesture.
"Mitchell's…mom moved here to Saint Bernard Parish. And then my flight director at that time, David Brown, said he'd gotten a phone call and said that someone had called him. There was a tall young man walking around the neighborhood. So, I got in my car and I drove down and met Mitchell's mom," Stockton continued, noting that Robinson was 6'11" at the time."
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"Then I invited her to come to our school. And she liked everything we offered. And then when Mitchell came to visit at Easter, he came to visit the school, and he liked things about our school."
The New York Knicks center did not have much of an impact on the basketball court during the first couple of years of his high school career. It wasn't until Robinson transferred to Coach Stockton's team at Chalmette High School in Louisiana that he began to showcase his talent.
"When I first saw Mitchell, and I always told him this, I said, ‘one thing I can promise you is you will get an education, you will get a degree.’ And I said, 'you're a very talented basketball player, you got great things in front of you. We got on the court, I could see it. You work hard, you will make that next level,'" Stockton told Kilmeade of his conversations with the 2019 NBA All-Rookie team member.
Robinson not only bonded with Stockton, but his wife. Stockton previously noted that Robinson visited his ailing wife in the hospital while she was battling metastatic cancer.
"She saw how unique Mitchell was. And she also saw how quiet he was. But one thing my wife realized about Mitchell, he was a very sincere person. And he was a dedicated person, especially to the game of basketball. And she could see that dedication. And I'll never forget her telling me this. She said, Butch, he's a special young man, and we have to do everything we can to help him reach his full potential," he continued.
Stockton concluded, sending a heartfelt message to athletes everywhere. "If there are families out there and their young boy or girl plays sports, then make sure you support them all the way through. They need your support."
FOX News' Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
Kayla Bailey is Digital Production Assistant with Fox News.
