NBA Finals 2026: Mitchell Robinson injury situation still murky, but all signs point to him trying to play in Game 1

SAN ANTONIO — When the New York Knicks got off the bus at Frost Bank Center on Tuesday for the NBA’s media day session ahead of Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals, all eyes were on the biggest Knick’s little finger.

Reserve center Mitchell Robinson walked into the arena with the pinky finger on his right hand unencumbered and unadorned:

That’s notable, because the 7-foot offensive rebounding machine just had surgery to repair a fractured fifth metacarpal on that right hand — reportedly last Tuesday, the day after the Knicks wrapped up a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

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Robinson did not speak with reporters on the several days the Knicks practiced between finishing off the Cavs and traveling to Texas to face the San Antonio Spurs and was limited to individual work rather than full participation during those practices. He also wasn’t one of the nine Knicks players made available during New York’s media day session Tuesday.

When Knicks head coach Mike Brown took the podium, the first question he fielded was about the status of his backup center.

“I don’t know what he’ll be listed on the injury report,” Brown said. “He did individual stuff yesterday. I’m about to talk to our medical people to see what he can do today.”

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When the Knicks took the court for practice, Robinson was there, wearing a black wrap and brace on his right hand:

In the portion of practice open to members of the media, Robinson used his right hand to shake hands with teammates and coaches, and looked comfortable using it to catch passes, dribble and take shots. During one drill, Robinson ran the floor full speed, catching and throwing outlet passes, seemingly without incident. When he filled the lane on the fast break, though, he didn’t appear to touch the rim on any of his finishes, choosing instead to just drop the ball through the hoop before making contact with the metal. (He also made a couple of corner 3-pointers in the drill, with one leading to a brief but boisterous celebration from Knicks shooting coach Peter Patton.) Notably though, he was seen walking…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-finals-2026-mitchell-robinson-injury-situation-still-murky-but-all-signs-point-to-him-trying-to-play-in-game-1-210151406.html

Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-06-02 21:01:00

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