Mitchell Robinson was asked about his history with Joel Embiid and if he’s looking forward to that matchup:
“He’s a great player and it’s fun playing against him and stuff like that.”
Getty
Knicks vs 76ers Game 1
The New York Knicks will be facing the Philadelphia 76ers, and the spotlight is on one of the most intriguing matches of the series – Mitchell Robinson against Joel Embiid.
Due to their intense rivalry, Robinson’s unexpected cool reaction to the Embiid dirty player question is worth watching in this series.
GettyMitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks stays calm
When asked about his history with Joel Embiid and whether he was looking forward to the matchup, Robinson kept it simple. “He’s a great player and it’s fun playing against him and stuff like that,” Robinson said.
Mitchell Robinson was asked about his history with Joel Embiid and if he’s looking forward to that matchup:
“He’s a great player and it’s fun playing against him and stuff like that.”
When pushed further on whether he considers Embiid a dirty player, Robinson did not take the bait. “No, I don’t. I really don’t live in the past. It is what it is. I just move on,” he said.
Mitchell Robinson was asked if he and the Knicks consider Joel Embiid a dirty player:
“No, I don’t. I really don’t live in the past. It is what it is. I just move on.”
The surprising part? This is the same Mitchell Robinson whose teammates publicly called Embiid’s 2024 playoff foul “dirty” after Embiid grabbed Robinson’s leg while he was in the air during Game 3 of their first-round series.
Donte DiVincenzo remarked at that time, “It was dirty. It was dirty,” and Robinson himself was coming off the court in a walking boot.
For someone who was even in physical danger on the court because of Embiid, his calm and forgiving reaction before this game is really quite amazing.
GettyMitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks
Before the Knicks reached the next series, Robinson was, in fact, silently going through a very tough time beyond basketball. Right before the Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks, Robinson went on Facebook and said that he was “lost in the world at the moment” and posted, “Knew something was gone happen. My mental just not the same”.
Earlier, he posted, “Trying so hard to stay calm,” revealing a man fighting with heavy mental pressure as the playoffs were approaching. His emotional battle erupted in that game when Hawks guard Dyson Daniels threw an elbow into his chest during a free-throw rebound, sparking a huge on-court fight that resulted in Robinson’s ejection.
The fact that the Knicks still won Game 6 by 51 points didn’t really hide how much Robinson was mentally struggling as he was going into this stretch run.
Even with the mental health issues and the ejection drama, the Knicks are going to need Mitchell Robinson to really step up and take over the game, especially the Joel Embiid side. Robinson offers exceptional rim protection and physicality, qualities few centers can match, and these qualities will be challenged by Embiid night after night.
Robinson has played 60 games this season, the most since 2021-22, after following to a strict load-management program, and he looks healthier for this series than he has in years.
The team will rely on him to provide a boost off the bench, guard the interior effectively, and not let his emotional past with Embiid affect him.
Looking at his calm media presence, it seems like Robinson is totally focused, indifferent, and set to go.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
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