Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson suffers broken pinky finger, NBA Finals status unclear: Sources

NEW YORK — New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson broke his right pinky finger earlier this week, and there is no timetable for his return, league sources told The Athletic.

It is unclear how Robinson suffered the injury.

The news comes on the heels of New York reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals. It’ll be a huge blow for the Knicks if Robinson misses games, whether their Finals opponent is the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have two 7-footers in Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, while the Thunder have Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

Robinson, the longest-tenured Knick, ranked fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (4.2) during the regular season and had a league-best 20.1 offensive rebounding percentage.

Injuries have dogged Robinson throughout his career. He played in just 31 games during the 2023-24 season and only 17 games during the 2024-25 season due to an ankle injury. Robinson was available for the playoffs last season and played a big part in New York’s first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years with his offensive rebounding and defense.

This season, Robinson played 60 games for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign. The Knicks had Robinson on an injury management plan, which included not using him in back-to-back games, with the hope that he would be fresh for the playoffs.

While Robinson has yet to miss a game in the postseason, his minutes have declined, largely due to his issues at the free-throw line. He’s making just 30.2 percent of his shots from the charity stripe, and teams are intentionally fouling him to try and disrupt New York’s high-powered offense.

Second-year big man Ariel Hukporti, who logged just 498 minutes during the regular season, is New York’s third-string center.