James Dolan Can't Seem to Read the Room
The Knicks owner says his team—made up mostly of immigrants, sons of immigrants and Black men—will visit the anti-immigrant and anti-Black president at the White House.
There are few things in life that fit together less naturally than James Dolan and the New York Knicks.
A vegan at a Texas barbecue competition.
Drake and discretion.
The Dallas Cowboys and January football.
Yet somehow, despite all logic, all common sense and nearly three decades of evidence, James Dolan remains the owner of the most important basketball franchise in America, which is unfortunate because the Knicks have finally become everything New York always wanted them to be.
For years, the Knicks were a punchline. The franchise spent so much time wandering through the wilderness that younger fans knew more about bad contracts than playoff victories. The organization cycled through coaches, executives and fading stars while Dolan hovered above it all like the world’s richest black cat crossing its own path.
But something changed.
This Knicks team feels like New York. Not the sanitized New York sold in tourism commercials. Not the luxury-condo New York that charges $28 for a salad and calls it culture.
The real New York.
A city built by immigrants, Black families, working-class dreamers and people who arrived with nothing but a dream and unreasonable confidence.
Look at the roster.
Jalen Brunson, the son of a former NBA player who had to fight for respect every step of the way. Karl-Anthony Towns, whose Dominican roots are woven into the fabric of New York City. OG Anunoby, the London-born son of Nigerian immigrants.
Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and a supporting cast that reflects the multicultural, multiracial reality of modern America. It’s actually a remarkably international championship roster. Beyond the Villanova core, the Knicks had players with ties to Puerto Rico, the Philippines, France, Germany, Togo, Poland, England, the Dominican Republic, and several parts of the United States.
Jordan Clarkson literally became the first player of Filipino descent to win an NBA championship. Jose Alvarado, the only native-born New Yorker on the roster this year, was back home less than 24 hours after Game 5 to celebrate the championship and his heritage at a Puerto Rican Day parade. The Knicks aren’t just a basketball team. They’re a reflection of the city that loves them, which makes it incredibly awkward that the man who owns them often feels like the least New York person connected to the franchise.
This is, after all, the same James Dolan who somehow managed to pick fights with New York legends Charles Oakley and Spike Lee.
Think about that for a second.
Charles Oakley.
Spike Lee.
In New York.
