Ex-New York Knicks star Nate Robinson was stripped of the chance to be on the court for one month for no good reason.
The New York Knicks are currently one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference as they are 24-12 right now and hold the third seed.
A key reason behind it is the phenomenal chemistry between head coach Tom Thibodeau and the roster. However, forming a great bond isn’t for every coach.
Speaking of which, let’s take a trip down memory lane to when then-Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni seemingly benched Nate Robinson for no valid reason.
Nate Robinson on getting benched by Mike D’Antoni
During the 2010s, D’Antonio was one of the most sought-after coaches in the league. After all, he revolutionized the Phoenix Suns with his fast-paced, positionless basketball.
When D’Antoni took the helm of the NY Knicks in 2008, fans expected the same, but it didn’t pan out well. Moreover, he briefly lost the trust of the fanbase in the 2009-10 season when he benched Nate Robinson for 14 straight games.
“It was tough. People don’t know ____ I used to go through. Like I would try to have meetings with him, try to figure out why I wasn’t playing and he just didn’t want to speak to me. He ignored me sometimes.”
“Didn’t even explain it to me.”
After a few weeks, fans grew restless and even chanted Nate’s name regularly. Meanwhile, Robinson was going through one of the toughest times of his career.
“I called my Mom. ‘I need a familiar face, pick-me-up. I haven’t been playing. Good to have you at the game just to be there. Just to know you are there,’”
Nate’s number was eventually called out
Following a wait of 14 games, D’Antoni finally decided to give Nate a chance off the bench against the Atlanta Hawks.
“The game goes on, first quarter, and coach calls my name and I didn’t move. I just stood there, we’re in the huddle, he’s like ‘Nate!’ I was like, ‘____, he ain’t talking to me.’ My teammates are like ‘he calling you fool!’”
What happened next?
“I was picturing everybody’s face on the team was D’Antoni. I was like, ‘I’m out here. It’s time.’ We end up going to overtime, come look at the stats, we win the game: 41 points, six or seven rebounds, six or seven assists, a couple steals. Had a helluva game.”
“Not gonna lie, I think I cried after that game, I was so happy.”
To be precise, Robinson had 41 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal to his name in the Knicks’ 112-108 win over the Hawks.
Robinson confronted D’Antoni in 2018
The 2009-10 season was Robinson’s final season in New York. Despite dropping 41 points in a revenge game, Nate waited for a chance to confront his former head coach in a press conference ahead of the 2018 NBA All-Star game.
“My question is why did you bench me for a whole month?” Robinson asked.
“What do you want me to tell? You got to make certain hard decisions, trying to get the team together and I thought went off the reservation for a while. … You came out and got 32 points,” D’Antoni said.
“41, but who’s counting?!” Robinson responded.
While D’Antonio offered an explanation for his decision, it still doesn’t make sense. Judging by Robinson’s expression, he wasn’t satisfied with the answer.
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