Losing a loved one feels like dying by a million cuts, having to relive the pain over and over as one tries to keep a loved one's memory alive even long after they're gone. That is what grief feels like; so for those grieving to have someone on their corner, taking care of them as they process all their emotions is paramount to the process of healing. And that is exactly what New York Knicks starting center did for Butch Stockton, his high school coach, when he invited Stockton to live with him in New York in the aftermath of the passing of Stockton's wife, Dawn.

“He said, ‘Coach there’s no reason for you to stay in Louisiana anymore. You come to New York with me and enjoy yourself,’” Stockton told Rebecca Haarlow of MSG Network in the middle of the broadcast of the Knicks' 118-112 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, via Tommy Beer. “Get your mind back straight because you know how much you loved your wife. I loved your wife.”

It was in Chalmette High School in Louisiana where Mitchell Robinson came under the tutelage of Butch Stockton. Even though six years have passed since Robinson graduated high school, the Knicks center remains ever so grateful for all the ways Stockton has helped him through the years, so he's only giving back to someone who has had such an outsized impact on his life.

“He's a great guy, he helped me get to where I'm at. So it works out for the best. I can help him out like he helped me,” Robinson said, via SNY. “That's my guy. He looked out for me. He helped me get to where I'm at, I feel like, so it's the least that I can do. It's been cool.”

In professional sports, it's not just for cold comfort when people say that the journey matters more than the destination. After all, professional sports bind people together like no other. And the high school coach of Knicks starting center, Mitchell Robinson, certainly knows just how big of an impact sharing lives between coaches and their players can have.