NEW ORLEANS — It is less than 10 miles from Chalmette, where Mitchell Robinson grew up, to Smoothie King Center, where he was starting for the Knicks on Friday night.
His Chalmette High School team was actually playing in a tournament at the arena Friday afternoon, something that Robinson never got the chance to do during his high school career. But the crowd of family and friends were on hand to see him play with the Knicks.
“I’ve been in here a few times,” Robinson said. “I saw Portland here twice. But I never played here.”
The switch from the small town just outside of New Orleans to New York hasn’t been as hard on the 20-year-old.