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For the first time in 27 years, the New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals. Fans were jubilant in the streets, but some wind briefly escaped from behind the team's sails when news broke about a Mitchell Robinson injury.
Robinson, the team's backup center, who is renowned for his defense and rebounding capabilities, gives New York their main shot at containing 22-year-old San Antonio Spurs' star Victor Wembanyama. However, news broke leading up to the Finals that involved Robinson breaking his pinky and having "no timetable on his return."
The big man has been seen at the team's preliminary shoot-around in San Antonio without anything around his hand. However, with the high stakes and physicality that the NBA Finals bring each year, he will most likely need a brace to play.
Here's the latest on how New York's big man broke his pinky just days before the NBA Finals.
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How did Mitchell Robinson break his pinky finger?
On the morning of NBA Finals Game 1, Brian Windhorst took to ESPN's "Get Up" to give more of a background to Robinson's injury. Here's what the insider said regarding the center's hand injury:
Brian Windhorst on Mitchell Robinson’s injury:
"It wasn't his pinky. It was his fifth metacarpal. It's a broken hand. When you break this part of your hand, it's known as a boxer's fracture because most of the time it means you hit something."
According to Windhorst, Robinson technically didn't break his pinky; it was his metacarpal. In the video above, Windhorst laid out the section of his hand that the center would have affected. The metacarpal sits on the back of the hand, under each finger's knuckle.
"When you break this part of your hand, it's known as a boxer's fracture because most of the time it means you hit something," Windhorst said.
The ESPN insider believes Robinson broke his hand in the process of hitting something. The injury reportedly occurred while Robinson was at home and happened away from a basketball court. The Knicks failed to share the specifics about how the center got hurt, and their stance hasn't changed.
Heading into Game 1 against San Antonio, Robinson is officially expected to play, according to Shams Charania.
Knicks' Mitchell Robinson is expected to be available for New York in Game 1 of the NBA Finals tonight against the San Antonio Spurs after fully participating in practice Tuesday following right hand surgery, per ESPN sources. https://t.co/jFjKxmLyUO
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 3, 2026MORE: Who will win this year's NBA Finals?
What is Mitch Robinson’s injury?
Robinson's official injury is a fractured fifth metacarpal. A metacarpal is the portion of the body that is right under a finger's knuckle. Since he fractured his fifth metacarpal, it is the region of his hand under his pinky's knuckle.
The injury hasn't proven to be too major yet. While Robinson was originally reported to have no timetable for return, according to Shams Charania, he has been seen at pre-Finals shootarounds with the team at Frost Bank Center.
Although he was spotted at shoot around a few hours ago by @sny_knicks, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is officially listed as QUESTIONABLE for Wednesday's Finals opener due to a that fractured right 5th metacarpal (pinky) that was previously reported last week.
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Why is Mitch Robinson wearing a brace?
Robinson will almost certainly be wearing a brace on his right hand during the NBA Finals. This will protect his hand the best way possible while giving him a good chance at appearing in the Knicks' first Finals appearance since 1999.
Here is Charania discussing the brace situation and the "murky" knowledge about this injury thus far:
The latest on status of key Knicks center Mitchell Robinson for Game 1 of the Finals in San Antonio for NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/bNLKaFP1Ut
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 2, 2026
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