THE NEW YORK KNICKS
The New York Knicks have won the NBA Finals, baby!
First time since 1973! How crazy is that?
As the Knicks community rejoices in celebration, I want to share my own personal history with the team, in light of everything that I've been feeling recently with their incredible run during this year's playoffs.
Here it goes...
(circa 1990-91)
I've been playing basketball since I was a kid, thanks to the influence of my brother Alex, who is to this day a massive basketball fan. Through him, I slowly started to watch NBA games on some of his BETA and VHS tapes from the 80s.
Being Portuguese, I never had much allegiance to just one team since I'm not from any of those cities, but two caught my eye early on:
LA Lakers
I was probably introduced to the LA Lakers during their rivalry with the
Celtics. And Showtime being Showtime, it was clear I had already picked
my favourite out of the two. That meant I was rooting for Magic
Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the like - until later,
when I was in my mid-teens, Kobe and Shaq arrived and took over,
becoming two of my biggest influences.
Chicago Bulls
Any human alive during the late 80s and early 90s ended up gravitating
towards Michael Jordan for years to come. The man attracted people to
the NBA who didn't even like basketball - and as such, it was difficult
for me (or anyone for that matter) to ignore. Jordan has become, to this
day, the athlete who better defined what greatness looks like at a
sporting level, and made that Bulls team one of the most exciting squads
to ever grace the floor. It left such a profound mark on me that even
years after MJ's era was done, I found myself still rooting for them
regardless of any sporting achievement. I became enamoured with the
culture and the city.
Now, having described these two teams, there was a third one I eventually fell in love with. Not because I loved their players or style of play, but purely by association with the city - and that was the New York Knicks.
In the late 80s and early 90s, when hopping on a plane was not as easy as today, my Dad would spoil himself with a trip to New York City to hit the jazz clubs - and each time he came back, he would bring us things that were months away from being available in Portugal, if they'd arrive at all. From toys to video games, VHS tapes of movies that hadn't reached our cinemas yet - everything just felt like it was coming from a different reality.
I remember this one particular time when Dad brought me a Spider-Man toy with suction cups that you could stick to a window. I was ecstatic. That was until I saw what he had in store for my brother Alex. He brought this black Nike Air Jordan beanie - and alongside it, this majestic royal blue and orange Knicks sweater with the logo sewn on the front, "Knicks" on the back, the NBA logo on the sleeve and the brand Lee Sports next to the wrist area. I was crazy jealous, and I wasn't even really aware of who the Knicks were. Apparently I seem to have had already some Knicks gear (as shown in the picture above) but I don't remember it. What I do remember campaigning to borrow that iconic sweater - and maybe keep it if Alex ever moved on from it. And wouldn't you know it? Years down the line, somewhere in my early 20s (if memory serves me right), my brother decided to give it away. If you can't guess how I felt, let me just say this: I'm a 40-year-old still holding on to that sweater like my life depended on it.
So yeah, that was the beginning of my love affair with the Knicks, which led me to watch old highlights on RTP2 (one of our state TV channels) -
Ewing and Starks, and later, when I'd fully converted myself into a
Knicks fan - that late 90s team with Spree and Allan Houston.
(Knicks legend, Latrell Sprewell, and myself - January 2019)
During all those years, the team never won anything. And aside from the late 90s, they weren't even close. But the love for that team - which began over merchandising and New York stories my Dad brought back home - grew more and more as I learned about the franchise history, the legacy of players who left their mark, the iconic status of their beloved home at Madison Square Garden (which I was privileged enough to visit), the city's culturally vibrant scene, and the emotional attachment tied to my connection with Dad and Alex.
As of right now, I feel like I have three teams I have a soft spot for. What I wasn't ready for is how the Knicks have revealed themselves to be the one I'm most passionate about.
I'm not trying to compare myself to the Knicks die-hards out there - that's a breed of their own, unrivalled and unmatched in passion and commitment. But what I'm saying is I never expected to get this emotional about a team. I've seen both the Lakers and Bulls win several times, and I joyfully celebrated those titles. With the Knicks, it's been heartbreak after heartbreak - even when certain teams looked promising - and I'm now feeling a whole range of emotions I never saw coming. And this was all hitting me as the series was ongoing and the possibility of winning a chip was becoming more and more likely.
Watching the compilations online - soundbites from the players and New Yorkers around the city, celebration moments, street scenes, all of it - I've had goosebumps and tears more times than I can count. It's such a foreign feeling, to feel all of this for a team that doesn't represent your home city or your country's culture. Yet here I am, invested in a way I never imagined.
But had I been paying attention to the signs, it would have clicked sooner. I'm passionate about basketball, and by association I was always going to love the city that is the Mecca of the game. And beyond the sport - New York is, without a doubt, the city in the world that resonates with me most. It's probably no coincidence that London is my home; it's the closest thing on this side of the pond to what New York offers.
Then I think about how I've unconsciously gravitated towards the Knicks my whole life. One of the giveaways was the merch. The jerseys, multiple hoodies, hats, sweaters, T-shirts - all of which have featured in my day-to-day more than half my regular wardrobe, planting the seed in so many friends and colleagues that I must be a Knicks fan. That was never the goal. I wear it because I like the look, but even more so because I love what it stands for. A richness in culture, diversity, an open-mindedness, a hustle and a grittiness - all of it tied into a New York state of mind.
I still love the Lakers and Bulls - they're responsible for my core basketball memories. But above all, I love the game, and I hope every team brings out their best so we get great basketball every time out.
What I'm coming away with, though, is this:
There are many incredible franchises in this league, with some of the finest players to ever grace a basketball court. But there is no team like the New York Knicks.
Bad, good, or excellent - they are as special as it gets. And I will be rooting for them, and for their city, till the day I die.
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