Mitchell Robinson has an unusual new ritual, and it just helped him close out an NBA championship.
The New York Knicks center revealed after Saturday’s Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs that he caught a snake at the team hotel — for the second time during the postseason. The first catch came before the Knicks eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. The second came the night before they clinched the franchise’s first title since 1973.
“You know what’s crazy? Yesterday at the hotel, I caught a snake. Again,” Robinson said in a postgame interview with SNY. “I caught one at the beginning of the playoffs. When we played Atlanta, we won. I caught one last night, and we won today. I think it’s something about snakes.”
Robinson even posted video of the San Antonio snake on social media, showing the serpent writhing in his hand as a teammate off-camera reacted with alarm. Robinson assured them he planned to release it in the grass.
The superstition is a far cry from the usual New York wildlife talk. Nobody’s talking about rats anymore — maybe the city needs more snakes.
How the Snake Catch Fits Into the Title Run
It wasn’t just snake-handling that made Robinson a factor. Playing through a finger injury, the 28-year-old center came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds — six on the offensive glass — along with two points and two assists in 20 minutes. He also helped contain rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama while Karl-Anthony Towns dealt with foul trouble.
The key moment came with 22 seconds left in a 91-88 game. Josh Hart missed a free throw, but Robinson grabbed the offensive rebound, essentially icing the clock and forcing the Spurs to foul. The play summed up his value as a relentless presence on the boards.
The Longest Tenured Knick Gets His Reward
Robinson is the longest-tenured player on the roster, having endured multiple losing seasons and a revolving door of stars and role players. Trade rumors have followed him for years, yet he remained in New York — steady as a dirty-water hot dog, as one beat writer put it.
“For Mitch to get that moment, after all the injuries and all the noise — it’s special,” a team source told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Knicks have not confirmed whether Robinson plans to keep snakes as pets going forward.
Whether the snake motif carries into next season remains to be seen. But for now, Robinson can claim something no other NBA player can: a perfect 2-0 record when catching serpents at the hotel.
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