Rick Pitino reveals that he encouraged the Knicks to draft Donovan Mitchell in 2017

In 2017, the New York Knicks had the chance to draft the next face of their franchise. 

They had the seventh overall pick in the draft, and one of the players available at the time was Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell. Rick Pitino — then the head coach of Louisville — revealed on the Roommates Show podcast that he made a call to the Knicks, urging them to select his star guard with their pick.

“I call them up and I say 'listen, take my guy Donovan Mitchell, he’s gonna kill it,’” Pitino said. “They said ‘nah, I don’t know if we can take him that high,’ they wound up taking Frank [Ntilikina].”

Of course, in hindsight this choice by the Knicks looks to be one of their all-time draft misses. Ntilikina would go on to become one of the most infamous busts for the Knicks, while Mitchell went on to be a star with the Utah Jazz, and remains one today with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

After spending four seasons with the Knicks from 2017-2021, Ntilikina last appeared in the NBA in the 2023-24 season with the Charlotte Hornets, and is currently playing in the EuroLeague with Olympiacos. Luckily for the Knicks, they managed to overcome their blunder, and have built themselves a contender for the 2025-26 season and beyond. 

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