Talent isn’t why the New York Knicks are NBA Champions — heart is. But, in the coming weeks, we’re going to find out just how tough this group of players really is.
Will an almost all-Black team led by a Black coach show up at the residence of a man who leads arguably the most racist administration this country has ever endured, just because their white owner accepted the invite, or nah?
We’ll know soon enough which of these Knicks are “about that life.”
“We still have to figure out the details, et cetera, but yes, of course,” Knicks owner James Dolan said earlier this week on WFAN New York, confirming his team’s acceptance of Trump’s White House invitation. “Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
This is the part where I remind you that the only game the Knicks lost in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs was the one Trump attended at Madison Square Garden. The loss was one of only three the team suffered throughout its unforgettable postseason run.
In addition to the problematic nature that Dolan’s acceptance of his friend’s invitation presents for the Knicks roster, there’s also the timing of it, which couldn’t have come at a worse time. Dolan’s decision came days after Trump sat on his hands when UFC fighter Josh Hokit disgustingly claimed that Michelle Obama “is a man” at the Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn, and occurred days before the grand opening of the Obama Center in Chicago and Juneteenth.
At a time in which Black Americans are celebrating the legacy of this country’s first Black president and a holiday that is connected to the commemoration of our freedom, the repulsive words of a white man and the inaction of another have attempted to hijack the moment, due to Dolan’s willful disregard for the predicament he’s put his players in.
Right now, the Knicks are like the heroes in a cheesy Disney movie. Jalen Brunson is “David,” and Victor Wembanyama is “Goliath.” However, this Pixar-esque film might not have a happy ending. The biggest story in sports, aside from the World Cup, has expanded beyond FS1 and ESPN to CNN and MSNOW following Dolan’s acceptance of the invitation. Now, we’re all waiting to see if the Knicks are going to end a league-wide silent boycott.
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