As a second-round rookie for the New York Knicks last season, Mitchell Robinson wore No. 26. Heading into next season, he’ll be wearing a No. 23 jersey to honor a couple of childhood friends who passed away.
According to the New York Post, one of his friends wore No. 2, and the other wore No. 3.
Robinson was unable to wear the No. 23 jersey last season, because Trey Burke already had it. Now that he’s in Dallas, that jersey is free for Robinson to use to honor his late friends.
Interestingly, the New York Post reports that Robinson received permission to use the number back in May, which tells us the organization didn’t have much confidence in landing Anthony Davis in a trade. As we know, Davis ended up with the Los Angeles Lakers, and LeBron James recently gave up that No. 23 jersey for his new teammate.
As a second-round rookie out of Western Kentucky, Robinson earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors, averaging 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.