New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has been an invaluable part of the team’s electric 12-2 run through the Eastern Conference playoffs despite, as he recently revealed, playing through significant mental health challenges.
Over the weekend, Robinson posted on his social media pages that he has been dealing with a “very upsetting experience” and that he was deleting social media apps from his phone while he worked through his feelings and focused his energy on competing with the Knicks.
And during ESPN’s broadcast of the Knicks’ deciding Game 4 win on Monday, reporter Lisa Salters and announcer Mike Breen praised Robinson for his honesty and positive thinking.
“Good for him for acknowledging that it’s OK to not be OK, and that it’s also OK to talk about it,” Salters said. “And we, of course, are wishing him nothing but the best.”
ESPN’s Lisa Salters and Mike Breen salute Knicks C Mitchell Robinson for opening up about his mental health struggles this postseason.
Salters: “Good for him for acknowledging that it’s OK to not be OK, and that it’s also OK to talk about it.” pic.twitter.com/RMecWMvXTN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 26, 2026
Breen referenced the track record of NBA players opening up about mental health issues, noting that Robinson being vulnerable about his situation as a high-profile pro athlete can normalize mental health treatment and conversation around it.
“When a professional athlete admits that, that means so much to younger people (who) say, ‘Well, if they can have it, it’s OK for me to admit it as well.’ Sometimes, that helps out,” Breen noted. “Robinson, meanwhile, is so beloved in the locker room and with the team, he’ll have so much support, whatever he’s going through.”
In addition to being the lead NBA announcer for ESPN and ABC, Breen is also the voice of the New York Knicks on MSG Networks. Breen will be on the call starting June 3 as the Knicks play in their first NBA Finals since 1999.
Robinson, who is averaging five points and five rebounds per game in the postseason, figures to be an X-factor for a potential Knicks championship.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.