The New York Knickerbockers,
shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team based in the
New York City borough
New York City is composed of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of New York State, making New York City the largest U.S. municipality situated in mult ...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. The Knicks compete in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA) as a member of the
Atlantic Division of the
Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at
Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other team is the
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...
. Alongside the
Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams still located in its original city.
The team, established by
Ned Irish Edward S. Irish (May 6, 1905 – January 21, 1982) was an American basketball promoter and one of the key figures in popularizing professional basketball. He was the founder and president of the New York Knicks from 1946 to 1974. He was enshrined in ...
in 1946, was one of the founding members of the
Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the NBA
after merging with the rival
National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949. The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchise's first head coach
Joe Lapchick
Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick (April 12, 1900 – August 10, 1970) was an American professional basketball player, mostly known for playing with the Original Celtics in the 1920s and 1930s. He is commonly regarded as the best center of his era, overs ...
. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the
NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team subsequently began to falter.
It was not until the late 1960s when
Red Holzman
William "Red" Holzman (August 10, 1920 – November 13, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to ...
became the head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
and
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances; however, they failed to participate in the NBA Finals.
The playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
; this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
,
Indiana Pacers, and
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
and
Jeff Van Gundy
Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his t ...
, making NBA Finals appearances in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
and
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
. However, they were unable to win an NBA championship during this era.
Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain their former successes, but won their first division title in 19 years in
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, led by a core of
forwards Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
and
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
. They were eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the
Indiana Pacers, and had failed to make the playoffs for eight years until
2020–21 when they were led by forward
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
and sophomore
RJ Barrett
Rowan Alexander "RJ" Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks ...
, who was selected third overall in the
2019 NBA draft
The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...
.
History
1946–1967: Early years
In 1946, basketball, particularly
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
, was a growing and increasingly profitable sport in New York City.
Hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
was another popular sport at the time and generated considerable profits; however, the arenas were not used often.
Max Kase, a New York sportswriter, became the sports editor at the ''
Boston American
The ''Boston American'' was a daily tabloid newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from March 21, 1904 until September 30, 1961. The newspaper was part of William Randolph Hearst's chain, and thus was also known as ''Hearst's Boston Americ ...
'' in the 1930s, when he met
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (lat ...
owner
Walter A. Brown
Walter Augustine Brown (February 10, 1905 – September 7, 1964) was the founder and original owner of the Boston Celtics, as well as an important figure in the development of ice hockey in the United States.
Life
He was born in Hopkinton, Ma ...
. Kase developed the idea of an organized professional league to showcase college players upon their graduation and felt it could become profitable if properly assembled. Brown, intrigued by the opportunity to attain additional income when the hockey teams were not playing or on the road, contacted several arena owners. On June 6, 1946, Kase and Brown and a group of seventeen others assembled at the
Commodore Hotel in New York City, as the
Basketball Association of America (BAA), where charter franchises were granted to major cities throughout the country.
Ned Irish Edward S. Irish (May 6, 1905 – January 21, 1982) was an American basketball promoter and one of the key figures in popularizing professional basketball. He was the founder and president of the New York Knicks from 1946 to 1974. He was enshrined in ...
, a college basketball promoter, retired sportswriter and then president of
Madison Square Garden, was in attendance. Kase originally planned to own and operate the New York franchise himself and approached Irish with a proposal to lease the Garden. Irish explained that the rules of the Arena Managers Association of America stated that Madison Square Garden was required to own any professional teams that played in the arena. On the day of the meeting, Kase made his proposal to the panel of owners; however, they were much more impressed by Irish and his vast resources; Kase relented and the franchise was awarded to Irish.
Irish wanted a distinct name for his franchise that was representative of the city of New York. He called together members of his staff for a meeting to cast their votes in a hat. After tallying the votes, the franchise was named the Knickerbockers. The "Knickerbocker" name comes from the pseudonym used by
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
in his book ''
A History of New York __NOTOC__
''A History of New York'', subtitled ''From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty'', is an 1809 literary parody on the history of New York City by Washington Irving. Originally published under the pseudonym Diedrich ...
'', a name that became applied to the descendants of the original
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
settlers of what later became New York, and later, by extension, to New Yorkers in general.
In search of a head coach, Irish approached successful
St. John's University coach
Joe Lapchick
Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick (April 12, 1900 – August 10, 1970) was an American professional basketball player, mostly known for playing with the Original Celtics in the 1920s and 1930s. He is commonly regarded as the best center of his era, overs ...
in May 1946. Lapchick readily accepted after Irish promised to make him the highest-paid coach in the league; however, he requested he remain at St. John's one more season in hopes of winning one last championship. Irish obliged, hiring former
Manhattan College coach
Neil Cohalan as interim coach for the first year.
With no college draft in the league's initial year, there was no guarantee that the Knicks or the league itself would thrive. Consequently, teams focused on signing college players from their respective cities as a way to promote the professional league. The Knicks held their first training camp in the
Catskill Mountains at the Nevele Country Club. Twenty-five players were invited to attend the three-week session. Players worked out twice a day and the chemistry between the New York natives was instant. With a roster assembled, the Knicks faced the
Toronto Huskies
The Toronto Huskies were a team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which was a forerunner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), during the 1946–47 season. They were based in Toronto. The team compiled a 22–38 win–loss r ...
at Toronto's
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...
on November 1, 1946, in what would be the franchise's first game—as well as the first in league history. In a low-scoring affair presented in front of 7,090 spectators, the Knicks defeated the Huskies 68–66 with
Leo Gottlieb leading the Knicks in scoring with 14 points. With Madison Square Garden's crowded schedule, the Knicks were forced to play many of their home games at the
69th Regiment Armory
__NOTOC__
The 69th Regiment Armory is a historic National Guard armory building located at 68 Lexington Avenue between East 25th and 26th Streets in the Rose Hill section of Manhattan, New York City. The building began construction in 1904 an ...
during the team's early years. The Knicks went on to finish their inaugural campaign with a 33–27 record and achieved a playoff berth under Cohalan despite a dismal shooting percentage of 28 percent. The Knicks faced the
Cleveland Rebels
The Cleveland Rebels were a basketball team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), a forerunner of the modern National Basketball Association (NBA), based in Cleveland.
Franchise history
The Rebels were an inaugural franchise in the BAA ...
in the quarterfinals, winning the series 2–1. However, the Knicks were swept by the
Philadelphia Warriors in two games in the semifinals.
As promised, Lapchick took over in 1947, bringing with him his up-tempo coaching style, which emphasized fast ball movement. Six new players were signed, including guard
Carl Braun and
Japanese-American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
guard
Wataru Misaka
Wataru Misaka (December 21, 1923 – November 20, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. A point guard of Japanese descent, he broke a color barrier in professional basketball by being the first non-white player and the first p ...
, the first non-
Caucasian
Caucasian may refer to:
Anthropology
*Anything from the Caucasus region
**
**
** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region
*
*
*
Languages
* Northwest Caucasian l ...
basketball player in the BAA. Under Lapchick, the Knicks made nine straight playoff appearances beginning in 1947.
Braun, who averaged 14.3 points, emerged as the team's star and paired with
Dick Holub and
Bud Palmer to account for half of the team's offense. Despite this, the Knicks struggled throughout the year, compiling a 26–22 record. Their finish was good enough to place them second in the
Eastern Division and secure a playoff match-up against the
Baltimore Bullets where they lost the series two games to one. In the
1948 NBA draft, the Knicks selected two future
Hall of Fame players in center
Dolph Schayes
Adolph Schayes (May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection. ...
and
Harry Gallatin. The Knicks were leery of Schayes' talent, prompting the center to leave to play for the
Syracuse Nationals
The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances.
1946– ...
of the struggling
National Basketball League. Despite losing Schayes, the team started the year well going 17–8 before they fell into a slump. They ended the year with a seven-game win streak to finish with a 32–28 record and a third-straight playoff appearance. The Knicks defeated the Bullets in a rematch of their previous encounter in 1947, winning the series 2–1. The team however struggled against the
Washington Capitols
The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbac ...
and lost the series 1–2.
![JoeLapchickGoudeycard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/JoeLapchickGoudeycard.jpg)
Prior to the beginning of the
1949–50 season, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association with the BAA absorbing six teams from its former competitor.
Despite division realignments, the Knicks remained in the Eastern Division.
The team continued its dominance under Lapchick, winning 40 games; however they lost the Eastern Division finals to the
Syracuse Nationals
The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances.
1946– ...
.
The
following season, the Knicks made history signing
Sweetwater Clifton to a contract, thus becoming the first professional basketball team to sign an
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
player.
During this same season, the Knicks finished with a 36–30 record. Though they placed third in their division, they secured a playoff spot and began the first of three consecutive trips to the
NBA Finals.
In spite of their success, the Knicks could not overcome the
Rochester Royals
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
despite a valiant comeback after losing the first three games of the Finals.
The next two years, in 1952 and 1953, New York fell to the
Minneapolis Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, th ...
in the Finals.
It was during this early period, the Knicks developed their first standout players in
Carl Braun who retired as the Knicks leading scorer with 10,449 points before later being surpassed by the likes of Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier and Willis Reed.
Harry Gallatin and Dick McGuire were also well-known standouts on the team and were later enshrined in the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Following these back-to-back losses, the Knicks made the playoffs in the subsequent two years with no success. Lapchick resigned as the team's head coach in January 1956 citing health-related issues.
Vince Boryla
Vincent Joseph Boryla (March 11, 1927 – March 27, 2016) was an American basketball player, coach and executive. His nickname was "Moose". He graduated from East Chicago Washington High School in 1944. He played basketball at the University of N ...
made his debut in February 1956 as the Knicks' new coach in a win over the
St. Louis Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
. However, after two seasons of poor performances and no playoff appearances, Boryla tendered his resignation from the team in April 1958.
Looking to regain their former dominance,
Andrew Levane was named the head coach and in his first year, the results were significantly better as the team finished with a 40–32 record, securing their playoff spot.
However, the Knicks could not manage to get past the Eastern Division semi-finals.
The Levane-led squad fared poorly to begin the 1959–60 season and under mounting pressure Levane resigned and was immediately replaced by Carl Braun, who became the team's first
player-coach
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
. The team did not fare much better under Braun and the Knicks hired
Eddie Donovan
Eddie Donovan (June 2, 1922 in Elizabeth, New Jersey – January 20, 2001) was a professional basketball coach and executive.
He coached the New York Knickerbockers from 1961 through 1965, and was the coach on the opposing sideline when Philadel ...
, who helped build up
St. Bonaventure's basketball team, in 1961. During Donovan's tenure, New York failed to achieve a playoff berth. As a testament to their struggles, on March 2, 1962, the Knicks faced the Philadelphia Warriors in
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey.
The community is lo ...
, where they infamously allowed
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...
to score an NBA-record
100 points in a 169–147 Warriors victory.
In 1964, the franchise's fortunes began to take a steady turn. The Knicks drafted center
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
, who made an immediate impact on the court and was named
NBA Rookie of the Year
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...
for his efforts.
However, the leaders of the team still remained in flux. In an attempt to reorganize, the Knicks named former standout
Harry Gallatin as head coach while reassigning Donovan to
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
position. After a slow start in 1965,
Dick McGuire, another former Knick, replaced his former teammate Gallatin midway through the season.
Though he failed to guide the Knicks to the playoffs in 1965, he managed to do so the following season, however, the Knicks lost in the Eastern Division semi-finals.
1967–1975: Championship years
The Knicks started their 1967–68 season with a 124–122 win over the visiting Warriors. In that game, seven players on the Knicks' roster scored in double figures. However, the Knicks lost their next six games, falling to a 1–6 record. They managed to stop their losing streak on November 1, 1967, when the Knicks won the road game against the Lakers, 129–113. During the game, Willis Reed scored a career-high 53 points on 21-of-29 shooting from the field. On November 3, the Knicks defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 134–100 in Seattle. In that game, nine Knicks' player scored at least 10 points. Head coach Dick McGuire was replaced midway through the 1967–68 season after the team began the season with a 15–22 record.
With the Knicks under .500, the team decided to hire coach
Red Holzman
William "Red" Holzman (August 10, 1920 – November 13, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to ...
, whose impact was immediate. Under his direction, the Knicks went 28–17 and finished with a 43–39 record thus salvaging a playoff berth, however, the Knicks were again vanquished in the Eastern Division semi-finals by the
Philadelphia 76ers.
However their roster was slowly coming together piece by piece. Rookies
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
and
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...
were named to the
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...
while
Dick Barnett
Richard Barnett (born October 2, 1936) is an American former basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Syracuse Nationals, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. He won two NBA championshi ...
and Willis Reed performed in the
1968 NBA All-Star Game
The 1968 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, January 23, 1968.
*Coaches: East: Alex Hannum, West: Bill Sharman.
*Officials: Mendy Rudolph and Don Murphy
*MVP: Hal Gre ...
.
The following season, the team acquired
Dave DeBusschere
David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player and coach and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 a ...
from the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
, and the team went 54–28.
In the playoffs, New York made it past the first round of contention for the first time since 1953, sweeping the
Baltimore Bullets in four games, before falling to the
Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division finals.
In the
1969–70 season, the Knicks had a then-single-season NBA record
18 straight victories en route to a 60–22 record, which was the best regular season record in the franchise's history to that point.
After defeating the Bullets in the Eastern Division semifinals and the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
in the Eastern Division finals, the Knicks faced the
Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
With the series tied at 2–2, the Knicks would be tested in Game 5. Willis Reed tore a muscle in his right leg in the second quarter, and was lost for the rest of the game.
Despite his absence, New York went on to win the game, rallying from a 16-point deficit.
Without their injured captain the Knicks lost Game 6, setting up one of the most famous moments in NBA history.
Reed limped onto the court before the seventh game, determined to play through the pain of his injury.
He scored New York's first two baskets before going scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
Although he was not at full strength, Reed's heroics inspired the Knicks, and they won the game by a score of 113–99, allowing New York to capture the title that had eluded them for so long.
Reed, who had been named the All-Star MVP and the league's MVP that season, was named MVP of the Finals, becoming the first player to attain all three awards in a single season.
The Knicks' success continued for the next few years. After losing to the Bullets in the 1971 Eastern Conference finals, the team, aided by the acquisitions of
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a p ...
and
Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, returned to the Finals in 1972.
This time the Knicks fell to the Lakers in five games.
The next year, the results were reversed, as the Knicks defeated the Lakers in five games to win their second NBA title in four years. The team had one more impressive season in
1973–74, as they reached the Eastern Conference finals, where they fell in five games to the Celtics. It was after this season that Willis Reed announced his retirement, and the team's fortunes began to shift once more.
1975–1985: Post-championship years
In the
1974–75 season, the Knicks posted a 40–42 record, their first losing record in eight seasons. The team still qualified for a playoff spot, however, but they lost to the
Houston Rockets in the first round.
After two more seasons with losing records,
Holzman was replaced by Willis Reed, who signed a three-year contract. In Reed's first year, New York finished the year with a 43–39 record and returned to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where they were swept by the Philadelphia 76ers. The next season, after the team began with a 6–8 record,
Holzman was rehired as the team's coach after Reed had angered Madison Square Garden president
Sonny Werblin
David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin (March 17, 1910 – November 21, 1991) was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets and chairman of Madison Square Garden, and who built and managed the ...
. The team did not fare any better under Holzman's direction, finishing with a 31–51 record, their worst in thirteen years.
After improving to a 39–43 record in the
1979–80 season, the Knicks posted a 50–32 record in the
1980–81 season.
In
the playoffs, the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
swept New York in two games.
Holzman retired the following season as one of the winningest coaches in NBA history. The team's record that year was a dismal 33–49.
However, Holzman's legacy would continue through the players he influenced. One of the Knicks' bench players and defensive specialists during the 1970s was
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
. Jackson went on to coach the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
and
Los Angeles Lakers to 11 NBA championships, surpassing
Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...
for the most in NBA history. Jackson cited Holzman as a significant influence on his career in the NBA.
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American retired basketball coach and player and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naism ...
replaced Holzman as head coach and in his first season, the team went 44–38 and made it to the second round of the playoffs, where they were swept by the eventual champion
Philadelphia 76ers. The next season, the team, aided by new acquisition
Bernard King
Bernard King (born December 4, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors ...
, improved to 47–35 and returned to the playoffs.
The team defeated the Detroit Pistons in the first round with an overtime win in the fifth and deciding game, before losing in the second round in seven games to the Celtics.
The team's struggles continued into the
1984–85 season, as they lost their last 12 games to finish with a 24–58 record.
The first of these losses occurred on March 23, 1985, where King injured his knee and spent the next 24 months in rehabilitation.
1985–2000: The Patrick Ewing era
![Patrick Ewing ca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Patrick_Ewing_ca._1995.jpg)
In the summer of 1985, the Knicks were entered into the first-ever
NBA Draft Lottery.
The Knicks ended up winning the number one pick in that year's
NBA draft. They used the pick to select star
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
of
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
.
In Ewing's first season with the Knicks, he led all rookies in scoring (20 points per game) and
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
(9 rebounds per game), and he won the
NBA Rookie of the Year Award. The team would not fare as well, though, as they struggled to a 23–59 record in his first season.
During Ewing's second season, the team started with a 4–12 record and head coach Hubie Brown was dismissed in favor of assistant
Bob Hill
Robert W. Hill''The Sporting News: 1992-93 Official NBA Register''. St. Louis, Missouri: The Sporting News Publishing Co. 1992. (born November 24, 1948) is an American basketball coach. Hill grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio, moving to Worthingt ...
. Under Hill, the Knicks had brief successes but went on to lose seventeen of their twenty-one final games of the season to finish 20–46 under Hill and 24–58 on the season. Hill was dismissed at season's end.
The team immediately turned around in the
1987–88 season with the hiring of
Rick Pitino
Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...
as head coach, who, only months prior to his hiring, led
Providence College to the
Final Four, turning around a program that had struggled prior to his arrival.
Combined with the selection of point guard
Mark Jackson, who won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and garnered MVP consideration, in the
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
and with Ewing's consistently stellar play, the Knicks made
the playoffs with a record of 38–44, where they were defeated by the Celtics in the first round.
The resurgence continued
the following season as the team traded backup center
Bill Cartwright
James William Cartwright (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'1" (2.16 m) center, he played 16 seasons for the N ...
to the Bulls for
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
Charles Oakley
Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ...
before the season started and then posted a 52–30 record, which was good enough for their first
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
title in 18 years and their fifth division title in franchise history.
In
the playoffs, they defeated the 76ers in the first round before losing to the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
in the
Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Prior to the start of the
1989–90 season, Pitino departed from New York to coach for the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...
leaving many stunned by his departure. Assistant
Stu Jackson was named as Pitino's replacement becoming the team's 14th head coach and the youngest head coach in the NBA, at the time, at the age of 32. Under Jackson's direction, the Knicks went 45–37 and defeated the Celtics in the first round of
the playoffs, winning the final three games after losing the first two. They went on to lose to the eventual NBA champion
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
in the next round. Jackson and the Knicks struggled to a 7–8 record to begin the
1990–91 season and Jackson was replaced by
John MacLeod who led the Knicks to a 32–35 record, ending the season with a 39–43 record overall that was good enough to earn the team another playoff appearance. The Knicks were swept in the first round by the eventual NBA champion, Chicago Bulls.
1991–1996: The Pat Riley/Don Nelson years
After the conclusion of the season, MacLeod left the team to become the head coach at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
. President
David Checketts reached out to
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
, who was working as a
commentator for the
National Broadcasting Company (NBC), to see if he was interested in returning to coaching. Riley accepted the Knicks proposition on May 31, 1991.
Riley, who coached the Lakers to four NBA titles during the 1980s, implemented a rough and physical style emphasizing defense.
Under Riley, the team, led by Ewing and guard
John Starks, who scored 24 points per game and 13.9 points per game respectively, improved to a 51–31 record, tying them for first place in the Atlantic Division.
After defeating the Pistons in the first round of
the playoffs, the team faced the Bulls, losing the series 4–3 in seven games.
The
1992–93 season proved to be even more successful, as the Knicks won the Atlantic Division with a 60–22 record. Before the season, the Knicks traded
Mark Jackson to the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
for
Charles Smith,
Doc Rivers
Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
After playing for Marquette Universit ...
, and
Bo Kimble
Gregory Kevin "Bo" Kimble (born April 9, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Loyola Marymount Lions. As a senior in the 1989–90 season, Kim ...
while also acquiring
Rolando Blackman
Rolando Antonio Blackman (born February 26, 1959) is a Panamanian-American former professional basketball player. He was a four-time NBA All-Star who spent most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks.
Blackman was born in Panama City, Panama, ...
from the
Dallas Mavericks. After defeating the
Indiana Pacers and
Charlotte Hornets in the first two rounds of the
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
, the Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference finals, where once again they met the Bulls. After taking a 2–0 series lead, the Knicks lost the next four games.
After the Bulls'
Michael Jordan made what would be his first retirement from basketball prior to the
1993–94 season, many saw this as an opportunity for the Knicks to finally make it to the NBA Finals. The team, who acquired
Derek Harper
Derek Ricardo Harper (born October 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A second-team All-American at the University of Illinois, he was the 11th overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft and spent 16 seasons as a point guar ...
in a midseason trade with the
Dallas Mavericks, once again won the Atlantic Division with a 57–25 record. In
the playoffs, the team played a then NBA-record 25 games (the
Boston Celtics played 26 games in the
2008 playoffs); they started by defeating the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
in the first round before finally getting past the Bulls, defeating them in the second round in seven games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced the
Indiana Pacers, who at one point held a three games-to-two lead. They had this advantage thanks to the exploits of
Reggie Miller
Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) ca ...
, who scored 25 fourth-quarter points in Game 5 to lead the Pacers to victory. However, the Knicks won the next two games to reach their first NBA Finals since 1973.
In
the finals, the Knicks would play seven low-scoring, defensive games against the
Houston Rockets. After splitting the first two games in Houston, the Knicks would win two out of three games at
Madison Square Garden, which also hosted the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years following their win over the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
in Game 7 of
their finals during the series. (A Knicks win would have made the Garden the first building to host a Cup winner and an NBA champ in the same season.) In Game 6, however, a last-second attempt at a game-winning shot by Starks was tipped by Rockets center
Hakeem Olajuwon, giving the Rockets an 86–84 victory and forcing a Game 7. The Knicks lost Game 7 90–84, credited in large part to Starks's dismal 2-for-18 shooting performance and Riley's stubborn refusal to bench Starks, despite having bench players who were renowned for their shooting prowess, such as
Rolando Blackman
Rolando Antonio Blackman (born February 26, 1959) is a Panamanian-American former professional basketball player. He was a four-time NBA All-Star who spent most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks.
Blackman was born in Panama City, Panama, ...
and
Hubert Davis
Hubert Ira Davis Jr. (born May 17, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's team. Before his coaching career, Davis played for North Carolina from 19 ...
available. The loss denied New York the distinction of having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year. Nevertheless, the Knicks had gotten some inspiration from
Mark Messier and the Rangers during the finals.
The next year, the Knicks were second place in the Atlantic Division with a 55–27 record. The team defeated the
Cleveland Cavaliers before facing the Pacers again in the second round. The tone for the Knicks–Pacers series was set in Game 1, as Miller once again became a clutch nuisance to the Knicks by scoring eight points in the final 8 seconds of the game to give the Pacers a 107–105 victory. The series went to a Game 7, and when
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
's last-second
finger roll
The finger roll is a specialized type of basketball layup shot where the ball is rolled off the tips of the player's fingers. The advantage of the finger roll is that the ball can travel high in the air over a defender that might otherwise block a ...
attempt to tie the game missed, the Pacers clinched the 97–95 win. Riley resigned the next day, and the Knicks hired
Don Nelson as their new head coach.
However Nelson's uptempo approach clashed with the Knicks' defensive identity, and during the
1995–96 season, Nelson was fired after 59 games, and, instead of going after another well-known coach, the Knicks hired longtime assistant
Jeff Van Gundy
Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his t ...
, who had no prior experience as a head coach. The Knicks ended up with a 47–35 record that year, and swept the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the eventual champion Bulls (who had an NBA record 72 wins in the regular season) in five games.
1996–2000: The Jeff Van Gundy years
In the
1996–97 season, the Knicks, with the additions of such players as
Larry Johnson and
Allan Houston, registered a 57–25 record. In the playoffs, the Knicks swept the
Charlotte Hornets in the first round before facing the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
(coached by Riley) in the second round. The Knicks took a 3–1 lead in the series before a brawl near the end of Game 5 resulted in suspensions of key players. Many of the suspended Knicks players, Ewing in particular, were disciplined not for participating in the altercation itself, but for violating an NBA rule stipulating that a benched player may not leave the bench during a fight (the rule was subsequently amended, making it illegal to leave the "bench area"). With Ewing and Houston suspended for Game 6, Johnson and Starks suspended for Game 7, and
Charlie Ward
Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. Ward was an exceptional football player as well, winning the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, and College Football National Championship while quart ...
suspended for both, the Knicks lost the series.
The
1997–98 season was marred by a wrist injury to Ewing on December 22, which forced him to miss the rest of the season and much of the playoffs. The team, which had a 43–39 record that season, still managed to defeat the Heat in the first round (a series, which saw another violent bench-clearing brawl at the end of Game 4, this time between Johnson and former Hornets teammate
Alonzo Mourning) of the playoffs before having another meeting with the Pacers in the second round. Ewing returned in time for game two of the series. This time, the Pacers easily won the series in five games, as
Reggie Miller
Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) ca ...
once again broke the hearts of Knicks fans by hitting a tying three-pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining in Game 4, en route to a Pacers overtime victory. For the fourth straight year, the Knicks were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Prior to the lockout-shortened
1998–99 season, the Knicks traded
Charles Oakley
Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ...
to the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
for
Marcus Camby Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to:
* Marcus (name), a masculine given name
* Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name
Places
* Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44
* Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
while also trading
John Starks in a package to the
Golden State Warriors for 1994's 1st team all-league shooting guard
Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...
(whose contract was voided by the Warriors after choking Warriors' head coach
P. J. Carlesimo
Peter John Carlesimo (born May 30, 1949) is an American basketball coach who coached in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college basketball for nearly 40 years. He is also a television broadcaster, having worked with ESPN, '' Th ...
during the previous season). After barely getting into the playoffs with a 27–23 record, the Knicks started a
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
run. It started with the Knicks eliminating the #1 seeded Heat in the first round after
Allan Houston bounced in a running one-hander off the front of the rim, high off the backboard, and in with 0.8 seconds left in the deciding 5th game. This remarkable upset marked only the second time in NBA history that an 8-seed had defeated the 1-seed in the NBA playoffs, and also the first time it happened in the Eastern Conference. After defeating the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
in the second round four games to none, they faced the Pacers yet again in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite losing Ewing to injury for the rest of the playoffs prior to Game 3, the Knicks won the series (aided in part to a four-point play by Larry Johnson in the final seconds of Game 3) to become the first eighth-seeded playoff team to make it to the NBA Finals. However, in the Finals, the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
, with superstars
David Robinson
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...
and
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...
, proved too much for the injury-laden Knicks, who lost in five games. The remarkable fifth game of this Finals is remembered for its 2nd half scoring duel between the Spurs'
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...
and the Knicks'
Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...
, and was decided by a long jumper by
Avery Johnson
Avery DeWitt Johnson (born March 25, 1965) is an American basketball television commentator and former player and coach who most recently served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is currently an NBA and college ...
with 47 seconds left to clinch the title for the Spurs.
The
1999–2000 season, would prove to be the last one in New York for Ewing, as the Knicks, who had a 50–32 record that season swept the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
a team led by
Vince Carter
Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...
,
Antonio Davis
Antonio Lee Davis (born October 31, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also playe ...
and a young
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two- ...
in three games in the first round, defeated the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
in another dramatic seven-game series in which Ewing's dunk with over a minute remaining in game 7, provided the winning margin in a 1-point road victory. They would, however, lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to the
Reggie Miller
Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) ca ...
-led
Indiana Pacers in six games. After the season, Ewing was traded on September 20, 2000, to the
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
, and the Ewing era, which produced many successful playoff appearances but no NBA championship titles, came to an end.
2000–2003: Downfall
![Madison Square Garden, 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Madison_Square_Garden%2C_2005.jpg)
Despite the loss of Ewing, the Knicks remained successful in the regular season, as they posted a 48–34 record under the direction of Houston and Sprewell. In the first round of playoff contention, however, New York fell to the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
in five games, failing to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade. After a poor start to
the season, the Knicks managed to get above .500 with a 10–9 record.
In spite of their recent success, Van Gundy unexpectedly resigned as head coach on December 8, 2001, explaining he had "lost focus" and would no longer be able to properly coach the team. The team, which named longtime assistant
Don Chaney
Donald Ray Chaney (born March 22, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most notable for winning two championships as a player on the Boston Celtics, and winning NBA Coach of The Year while leading the Houston Roc ...
as their new head coach, ended the season with a 30–52 record, and for the first time since the 1986–87 season they did not qualify for the playoffs.
In October 2002, the team elected to extend Chaney's contract for another year. Rather than rebuilding, the Knicks opted to add veterans to the roster including
Antonio McDyess who had been dealing with knee problems in the preceding years.
Furthermore, the Knicks were criticized by many analysts as multiple players on the roster were overpaid in light of their poor performances, causing salary cap problems that would persist until
Donnie Walsh Joseph Donald Walsh, Jr. (born March 1, 1941) is a front office adviser of the Indiana Pacers and a former professional basketball coach. He is also the former President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
Early li ...
took over as team president.
McDyess injured his knee during the team's third preseason game and was subjected to further operations in April 2003 after a
CT scan revealed the injured knee necessitated he undergo bone-graft surgery.
The Knicks managed only seven wins in their first twenty games, setting the tone for the rest of the season, which they completed with a 37–45 record; it was their second consecutive season without a playoff appearance.
2003–2008: Isiah Thomas era
![Isiah Thomas 2007 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Isiah_Thomas_2007_%28cropped%29.jpg)
After a 10–18 start to the 2003–04 season, the Knicks underwent a massive overhaul.
Isiah Thomas was named the Knicks' president on December 22, 2003, upon the firing of
Scott Layden
Scott Layden (born 1959) is an American former general manager for the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former coach and general manager of the Jazz, Frank Layden, and a graduate of Saint Francis University in Loretto, Penns ...
. Thomas continued to restructure the team, firing Chaney after an unproductive tenure and hiring Hall of Famer
Lenny Wilkens
Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as ...
to coach the team. Additionally, Thomas orchestrated multiple trades, including one that brought
point guard Stephon Marbury
Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach in the Chinese Basketball Association. After his freshman year with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected as th ...
to the team. The team qualified for the playoffs that year with a 39–43 record, but were swept by the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
in the first round.
The series included a highly publicized spat between the Knicks'
Tim Thomas and Nets'
Kenyon Martin, in which Thomas all but challenged Martin to a fight and called him "Fugazy". The following season, the Knicks struggled to a 17–22 record before Wilkens resigned as head coach.
Herb Williams
Herbert L. Williams (born February 16, 1958) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eighteen seasons from 1981 to 1999. Williams served as the interim head coach and the assistant coach of the NBA ...
, who had previously coached the team in a game against the
Orlando Magic prior to the team hiring Wilkens, took over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season and did not fare much better as the Knicks ended their season with a 33–49 record and out of playoff contention.
![Larry_Brown_2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Larry_Brown_2014.png)
Hoping to find a leader that could put the team back on track, New York hired
Larry Brown to coach the team.
Brown, who idolized the team during his childhood, was well regarded for his coaching abilities and his arrival brought a sense of hope to the franchise.
Hoping to find the next Patrick Ewing, the Knicks drafted center
Channing Frye
Channing Thomas Frye (born May 17, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward- center, he played college basketball for the University of Arizona. He was drafted eighth overall by the New York Knicks in the 200 ...
and signed centers
Jerome James
Jerome Keith James (born November 17, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Originally from Tampa, Florida, James played college basketball at Florida A&M for three seasons and was the national leader in blocks per game in ...
and
Eddy Curry
Eddy Anthony Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Coming directly out of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry was selected fourth overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Chicago B ...
, the former prior to the season and the latter during the season.
Curry, who reportedly had a worrying heart condition, refused to take a controversial DNA test, and fell out of favor with
John Paxson
John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was th ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
's general manager.
The Bulls signed-and-traded him to the Knicks along with
Antonio Davis
Antonio Lee Davis (born October 31, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also playe ...
for Tim Thomas,
Michael Sweetney
Michael Damien Sweetney (born October 25, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He is now the assistant coach of the Yeshiva University Men's basketball team and head coach of the girls varsity basketball team at New York's R ...
, the Knicks' 2006 first-round pick, and the right to swap first-round picks with the Knicks in 2007, as well as 2007 and 2009 second-round picks.
Isiah Thomas did not lottery-protect the picks, and the Knicks forfeited the second pick in the
2006 draft, and the ninth in the
2007 draft. With a bloated payroll, the Knicks stumbled to the second worst record in the NBA that season, at 23–59.
The season concluded with the firing and $18.5 million buy-out of head coach Larry Brown after one season.
With the departure of Brown, team president Isiah Thomas took over the head coaching responsibilities.
Thomas continued his practice of signing players to high-priced contracts while the franchise struggled to capitalize on their talent on the court. As a testament to their struggles, on December 16, 2006, the Knicks and the
Denver Nuggets broke into
a brawl during their game in
Madison Square Garden. With multiple players still serving a suspension as a result of the brawl, on December 20, 2006,
David Lee created one of the most memorable plays in recent Knicks history, and served as a bright spot as the team's struggles persisted, during a game against the
Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...
. With a tie game and 0.1 seconds left on the
game clock
A chess clock consists of two adjacent clocks with buttons to stop one clock while starting the other, so that the two clocks never run simultaneously. Chess clocks are used in chess and other two-player games where the players move in turn, and ...
in double
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
,
Jamal Crawford
Aaron Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000 to 2020. He is regarded as one of the best ball handlers in NBA history,. He was nam ...
inbounded from the sideline, near half-court. The ball sailed towards the basket, and with that 0.1 seconds still remaining on the game clock, Lee tipped the ball off of the backboard and into the hoop.
Because of the
Trent Tucker Rule
The Trent Tucker Rule is a basketball rule that disallows any regular shot to be taken on the court if the ball is put into play with under 0.3 seconds left in game or shot clock. The rule was adopted in the 1990-91 NBA season and named after New ...
, a player is allowed solely to tip the ball to score when the ball is put back into play with three-tenths of a second or less remaining. Because of this rule, the rarity of Lee's play increases. The Knicks won, 111–109 in double overtime.
The Knicks improved by ten games in the 2006–2007 campaign in spite of injuries that ravaged the team at the end of the year; they ended with a 33–49 record, avoiding a 50-loss season by defeating the Charlotte Bobcats 94–93 on the last day of the season.
During the 2007 off-season, the organization became embroiled in further controversy away from the basketball court.
Anucha Browne Sanders, a former Knicks executive, had filed a
sexual harassment lawsuit against Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden. Faced with a trial, the jury returned a verdict finding Thomas and Madison Square Garden liable for sexual harassment.
The jury also levied $11.6 million in
punitive damages
Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. ...
against Madison Square Garden, though this was later reduced to $11.5 million in a settlement between both parties.
The ordeal proved embarrassing for the franchise, revealing sordid details about Knicks management and the environment at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks struggled as they opened their 2007 campaign with a 2–9 record leaving many Knicks fans, frustrated with the franchise's lack of progress under Thomas, called for the coach's firing—the chant "Fire Isiah" became a common occurrence during the Knicks' home games. On November 29, 2007, the Knicks were handed one of their worst defeats in their history by the
Boston Celtics, with a final score of 104–59.
This matched their third-largest margin of defeat.
New York went on to post an eighth consecutive losing season and tied the franchise mark for their worst record ever, at 23–59.
2008–2010: Rebuilding
![Mike D'Antoni 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Mike_D%27Antoni_2010.jpg)
MSG chairman James Dolan hired former
Indiana Pacers President
Donnie Walsh Joseph Donald Walsh, Jr. (born March 1, 1941) is a front office adviser of the Indiana Pacers and a former professional basketball coach. He is also the former President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
Early li ...
on April 2, 2008, to take over Isiah Thomas's role as team president. At the introductory press conference, Walsh, while not proclaiming to be a savior, did set goals, which included getting the team under the salary cap and bringing back a competitive environment. Upon the conclusion of the 2007–2008 regular season, Walsh fired Thomas, and on May 13, 2008, officially named former
Phoenix Suns head coach
Mike D'Antoni
Michael D'Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an Italian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
While head coach of the Ph ...
as head coach.
D'Antoni signed a four-year, $24 million deal to coach the team.
The Knicks, holding the sixth pick in the
2008 NBA draft, selected
Danilo Gallinari on May 20, 2008.
On November 21, 2008, the Knicks dealt one of their top scorers,
Jamal Crawford
Aaron Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000 to 2020. He is regarded as one of the best ball handlers in NBA history,. He was nam ...
, to the
Golden State Warriors for
Al Harrington
Albert Harrington (born February 17, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Cape Town Tigers. Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Harrington played 16 seasons in the ...
.
Hours later, New York traded
Zach Randolph
Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by ...
, along with
Mardy Collins
Maurice Rodney "Mardy" Collins (born August 4, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He completed his college basketball career at Temple University, and was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 29th pick of the first ro ...
, to the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
for
Cuttino Mobley
Cuttino Rashawn Mobley (born September 1, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association from 1998 to 2008. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams, earning conference p ...
and Tim Thomas, with the intention of freeing cap space for the 2010 off-season, when top-flight players such as
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...
,
Dwyane Wade,
Chris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bo ...
, and
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
would be available.
In February 2009, the Knicks traded Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and
Anthony Roberson
Anthony Roberson (born February 14, 1983) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Roberson played college basketball for the University of Florida, and signed with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted f ...
to the Chicago Bulls for
Larry Hughes
Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. (born January 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Hughes played for eight different teams during his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hughes attended Saint Louis Un ...
, in addition to sending
Malik Rose
Malik Jabari Rose (born November 23, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Rose played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003.
High school ...
to the
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
for
Chris Wilcox
Chris Ray Wilcox (born September 3, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He has also played in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.
High S ...
.
Additionally, the long-standing controversy with
Stephon Marbury
Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach in the Chinese Basketball Association. After his freshman year with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected as th ...
ended when the two sides agreed to a buy-out of Marbury's contract, which allowed him to sign with the Celtics when he cleared waivers on February 27, 2009. In spite of a volatile roster,
the Knicks improved by nine wins from the previous season in D'Antoni's first season, to finish 32–50, coinciding with the emergence of forward-center
David Lee, who led the league with 65
double-doubles, and the continued development of guard Nate Robinson and swingman
Wilson Chandler
Wilson Jamall Chandler (born May 10, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, mainly with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. He has also played for Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chines ...
.
In the
2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...
, the Knicks selected forward
Jordan Hill eighth after targets such as
Stephen Curry,
Jonny Flynn
Jonny William Flynn (born February 6, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. A three-year National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran, he last played for the Orlandina Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A and played collegiat ...
, and
Ricky Rubio were off the board. Guard
Toney Douglas
Toney Bernard Douglas (born March 16, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Benfica of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. He played college basketball for Auburn for one year, eventually becoming frustrated with his role on t ...
was then selected with a 29th overall pick, which was acquired from the
Los Angeles Lakers.
Shortly afterwards, New York executed a trade with the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
in which the Knicks acquired
Darko Miličić in exchange for
Quentin Richardson
Quentin Lamar Richardson (born April 13, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who was formerly the director of player development for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Q-Rich", he p ...
.
The Knicks got off to their worst 10-game start in franchise history, producing nine losses, with just one win. The Knicks responded by winning nine games and losing six in December.
On January 24, 2010, the Knicks suffered their worst home loss in Madison Square Garden history against the
Dallas Mavericks in front of a sellout crowd. The 50-point loss was also the second-worst in Knicks franchise history.
On February 17, the Knicks shook up the roster, trading Miličić to the
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
for
Brian Cardinal
Brian Lee Cardinal (born May 2, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 456 games in the NBA between 2000 and 2012, and won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Before his NBA career, he was one o ...
and cash considerations. A day later, the Knicks and Celtics swapped guard
Nate Robinson
Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA draft. ...
for shooting guard
Eddie House
Edward Lee House II (born May 14, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. A guard known for his three-point shooting, House played for nine NBA teams in 11 seasons in the league. He was a member of the Boston Celtics team that ...
. The deal also included forward
Marcus Landry going to the Celtics and the Knicks acquiring bench players
J. R. Giddens and
Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to:
Australian rules football
* Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon
* Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy
* Bill J. V. Wal ...
. The Knicks also acquired All-Star forward
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two- ...
from the
Houston Rockets and point guard
Sergio Rodríguez
Sergio Rodríguez Gómez (; born 12 June 1986) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he plays at the point guard position. Rodriguez, nicknamed "El Chacho", won ...
from the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
in a three-way trade. The deal sent Knicks shooting guard
Larry Hughes
Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. (born January 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Hughes played for eight different teams during his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hughes attended Saint Louis Un ...
to Sacramento and forward Jordan Hill and power forward
Jared Jeffries
Jared Scott Carter Jeffries (born November 25, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Jeffries was drafted with the 11th overall pick of the 2002 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. He also played for the New York Knicks, ...
to Houston. The trades, orchestrated to give the Knicks more cap space for the summer of 2010, netted the Knicks $30 million of cap space. About three weeks after these team-changing trades, the Knicks played the Dallas Mavericks at
American Airlines Center
The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association and the Dallas ...
and blew them out by a score of 128–94 for their largest win of the season.
However, the Knicks were eliminated from playoff contention in late March 2010 and completed their season with a 29–53 record, a regression from their first season under D'Antoni.
2010–2013: Arrival of Carmelo Anthony
The Knicks and former Phoenix Suns forward-center
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
came to an agreement on July 5, 2010.
The sign and trade deal was made official on July 8 as Stoudemire agreed to an approximately $100 million contract over the span of five years.
Team president Donnie Walsh stated the signing of Stoudemire as a turning point for the future of a Knicks team that had struggled in recent years. The Knicks continued to redesign their roster, trading
David Lee to the
Golden State Warriors for
Anthony Randolph
Anthony Erwin Randolph Jr. (born July 15, 1989) is an American-Slovenian professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Slovenian national basketball team, winning the 2017 ...
,
Kelenna Azubuike
Kelenna David Azubuike (born 16 December 1983) is a British-Nigerian-American former professional basketball player and currently the Golden State Warriors television analyst on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Born in London, England and raised in Tulsa, ...
and
Ronny Turiaf
Ronny Turiaf ( , ; born 13 January 1983) is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the U ...
.
The Knicks also struck deals with former
Bobcats
The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...
point guard
Raymond Felton
Raymond Bernard Felton Jr. (born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Felton played college basketball for the University of North Carolina under head coach Roy Williams.
At North Carolina, Felton led the Tar Hee ...
and Russian center
Timofey Mozgov
Timofey Pavlovich Mozgov ( rus, Тимофей Павлович Мозгов, p=tʲɪmɐˈfʲej mɐˈzɡof, born July 16, 1986) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Mozgov won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 20 ...
.
The Knicks regained their title as the most valuable franchise in the NBA following these acquisitions, though this was mainly due to the arrival of Stoudemire, whose star power allowed the team to resurge; the Knicks sold out their full-season ticket inventory for the first time since 2002.
D'Antoni along with Stoudemire and the core of young players, including Felton,
Danilo Gallinari, Mozgov,
Wilson Chandler
Wilson Jamall Chandler (born May 10, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, mainly with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. He has also played for Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chines ...
and rookie
Landry Fields
Landry Addison Fields (born June 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Fields played five seasons in the NBA for ...
, piloted the Knicks to a 28–26 record prior to the All-Star break, marking the first time the team had been above the .500 mark at that point of the season since 2000. In spite of the team's mounting success, New York made a push to acquire
Denver Nuggets forward
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
. After months of speculation, on February 22, 2011, Anthony was traded to New York, with teammates
Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. Afte ...
,
Shelden Williams
Shelden DeMar Williams (born October 21, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "The Landlord", he played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, and later played in the NBA for parts of seven seasons.
William ...
,
Anthony Carter, and former Knicks player
Renaldo Balkman
Renaldo Miguel Balkman (born July 14, 1984) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He also represents the Puerto Rican national team.
He p ...
. Denver acquired Felton,
Danilo Gallinari,
Wilson Chandler
Wilson Jamall Chandler (born May 10, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, mainly with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. He has also played for Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chines ...
, Mozgov,
Kosta Koufos
Konstantine Demetrios "Kosta" Koufos ( Greek: ; born February 24, 1989) is a Greek-American professional basketball player who plays for the London Lions of the British Basketball League (BBL). He played one season at Ohio State before being sel ...
, a 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors' second-round draft picks for 2013 and 2014 and $3 million in cash. In addition, the Knicks sent Anthony Randolph and
Eddy Curry
Eddy Anthony Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Coming directly out of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry was selected fourth overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Chicago B ...
to the Minnesota Timberwolves and in return the Timberwolves'
Corey Brewer
Corey Wayne Brewer (born March 5, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA na ...
was sent to the Knicks.
The Knicks clinched their first playoff berth since the
2004 NBA playoffs in a rout of the
Cleveland Cavaliers on April 3, 2011. Carmelo Anthony ensured the franchise's first winning season
since 2001 on April 10, 2011, against the Indiana Pacers, as Anthony scored the game-winning basket for the Knicks and subsequently blocked
Danny Granger
Danny Granger Jr. (born April 20, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2005 after a two-year college stint at New ...
's shot in the final seconds of the game. The Knicks were ultimately eliminated from contention in
the first round on April 24, 2011, by the
Boston Celtics, losing the series 0–4. In spite of Donnie Walsh's successful efforts to help rebuild the franchise, he decided not to return as the team's president, electing to step down at the end of June 2011, citing the uncertainty surrounding his ability to continue to manage the daily operations of the team.
Glen Grunwald
Glen Grunwald (born June 13, 1958) is an attorney and basketball executive who serves as the Executive Advisor of Canada Basketball and as a Senior Advisor of the Memphis Grizzlies.
He previously served as President and CEO of Canada Basketball ...
was elected as interim president and general manager.
Following the conclusion of the
2011 NBA lockout, the Knicks engaged in a sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks for center
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
on December 10, 2011, with Chandler signing a four-year contract worth approximately $58 million.
In return, the Knicks sent
Andy Rautins
Andrew Jay Rautins (born November 2, 1986) is an American-born Canadian professional basketball player who last played for AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League. He played for Syracuse University and was drafted by the NBA's New York Knicks in ...
to the Mavericks, generating a trade exception for Dallas. Ronny Turiaf and $3 million in cash considerations were sent to the
Wizards to complete the three-way trade. The Knicks also obtained the draft rights to
Ahmad Nivins and
Georgios Printezis
Georgios Printezis (alternate spelling: Giorgos) ( el, Γεώργιος Πρίντεζης, born February 22, 1985) is a Greek former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career with Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League a ...
from Dallas. In order to fit Chandler under the salary cap, Chauncey Billups was earlier waived under the amnesty clause of the new collective bargaining agreement.
To replace Billups at point guard, the Knicks signed
Mike Bibby
Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...
to a one-year, veteran minimum contract. The Knicks also signed veteran point guard
Baron Davis
Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the '' NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in ...
on December 19 to a one-year contract. At the time, Davis had suffered a herniated disk and was not expected to compete for about 6–8 weeks, leaving Toney Douglas as the team's starting point guard. The Knicks struggled early in the season because Douglas and Bibby struggled to facilitate the offense and subsequently, it became stagnated. Subsequently, rookie
Iman Shumpert
Iman Asante Shumpert ( ; born June 26, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Shumpert was selected by the New York Knicks with the 17th overall pic ...
was thrust into the role as the starting point guard after Douglas was relegated to the bench due to his struggles. In addition, head coach D'Antoni also decided to use Carmelo Anthony as a point forward to help generate a more up-tempo offense; however, there were concerns Anthony was holding the ball for too long, thus contributing to the stagnation of the Knicks' offense.
"Linsanity"
![Jeremy Lin with the Knicks and reporters](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Jeremy_Lin_with_the_Knicks_and_reporters.jpg)
With the Knicks struggling to an 8–15 record, D'Antoni inserted third-string point guard
Jeremy Lin into the rotation against the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
on February 4, 2012.
Lin, who had been claimed off waivers on December 27 following an injury to Iman Shumpert, scored 25 points and had seven assists en route to a Knicks win.
Lin was praised for his ability to facilitate the offense, something the Knicks had struggled to do for the first 23 games of the season.
Lin, exceeding expectations, was named the starter for the Knicks following a game against the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
. Lin guided the Knicks to a seven-game winning streak, despite being without Anthony and
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
for five games due to a groin injury and a death in the family respectively, that brought the team back to a .500 winning percentage. The surge of positive play by the Knicks accompanied by the performance of Lin caused extensive national and worldwide media coverage that was referred to as 'Linsanity'. To bolster their depth and perimeter shooting percentage, the Knicks signed
J. R. Smith
Earl Joseph "J. R." Smith III (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball at New Jers ...
on February 18, 2012. The team struggled to congeal when Anthony returned from injury and went on to lose seven of eight games before head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned on March 14, 2012. Assistant
Mike Woodson
Michael Dean Woodson (born March 24, 1958) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team.
With coach Bob Knight's Indiana Hoosiers, Woodson played collegiate ...
was named the interim head coach.
Under Mike Woodson
![Mike Woodson (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Mike_Woodson_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Under Woodson, the Knicks finished 18–6 during the regular season and clinched a playoff spot for the second straight year this time as the seventh seed, making it the first time they have clinched consecutive playoff berths since making 13 straight playoff appearances from
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
to
2001.
Not only did they also clinch consecutive winning seasons for the first time in a decade, but their 36–30 record was the highest winning percentage for the team since the
2000–01 season.
The Knicks faced the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and lost the first three games, breaking the NBA record for longest playoff losing streak at 13 games. The team's struggles were partially attributed to injuries as Jeremy Lin, Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert were all sidelined by knee ailments.
The Knicks proceeded to win a close Game 4, which snapped their streak and ensured that they would not be swept out of the first round; however, they failed to keep up with the Heat's up-tempo offense in Game 5 and lost the series 4–1.
Despite the team's disappointing postseason exit, the Knicks removed Woodson's interim status and he was officially named the full-time head coach on May 25, 2012.
The Knicks began their off-season by selecting Greek forward
Kostas Papanikolaou
Konstantinos "Kostas" Papanikolaou ( gr, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Παπανικολάου; born 31 July 1990) is a Greek professional basketball player and the team captain for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroL ...
in the
2012 NBA draft
The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...
. One week later, the team came to terms with veteran point guard
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards a ...
, who was originally supposed to serve as a backup to Lin. The Knicks also re-acquired
Marcus Camby Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to:
* Marcus (name), a masculine given name
* Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name
Places
* Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44
* Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
from the
Houston Rockets in a sign and trade sending Houston
Josh Harrellson
Josh Douglas Harrellson (born February 12, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for Fukushima Firebonds of the Japanese B.League. Standing , he played center for the Kentucky Wildcats from 2008 to 2011. He was selected by the New O ...
,
Jerome Jordan
Jerome Adolphus Jordan (born September 29, 1986) is a Jamaican professional basketball player for Peñarol Mar del Plata of the Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB). He played college basketball for the University of Tulsa and represents the Jamaica ...
,
Toney Douglas
Toney Bernard Douglas (born March 16, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Benfica of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. He played college basketball for Auburn for one year, eventually becoming frustrated with his role on t ...
and 2014 and 2015 two second-round picks and completed a sign-and-trade with the
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
that brought back
Raymond Felton
Raymond Bernard Felton Jr. (born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Felton played college basketball for the University of North Carolina under head coach Roy Williams.
At North Carolina, Felton led the Tar Hee ...
and
Kurt Thomas in exchange for
Jared Jeffries
Jared Scott Carter Jeffries (born November 25, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Jeffries was drafted with the 11th overall pick of the 2002 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. He also played for the New York Knicks, ...
,
Dan Gadzuric
Daniel Gadzuric (born February 2, 1978) is a Dutch-Serbian former professional basketball player.
Gadzuric, a center, attended preparatory school at The Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, before playing college basketball for the Bru ...
, and the draft rights to Papanikolaou and Greek forward
Georgios Printezis
Georgios Printezis (alternate spelling: Giorgos) ( el, Γεώργιος Πρίντεζης, born February 22, 1985) is a Greek former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career with Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League a ...
, whose draft rights had been acquired by the Knicks in December 2011. The Knicks also re-signed free agents
J. R. Smith
Earl Joseph "J. R." Smith III (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball at New Jers ...
and
Steve Novak
Steven Michael Novak (born June 13, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a television analyst for the Milwaukee Bucks on Fox Sports Wisconsin. He is listed as 6'10", 225 lbs. He played college basketbal ...
and added more players to the roster, such as
James White,
Chris Copeland
Christopher Stephen Copeland (born March 17, 1984) nicknamed "The X-Factor" is an American former professional basketball player who last played for MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the University of Colorado Bo ...
, and Argentinian point guard
Pablo Prigioni
Pablo Prigioni (born May 17, 1977) is an Argentine-Italian former professional basketball player, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played the point guard position, and was a member of the senior Argentina ...
. However the Knicks lost restricted free agents
shooting guard,
Landry Fields
Landry Addison Fields (born June 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Fields played five seasons in the NBA for ...
to the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
and
point guard,
Jeremy Lin to the
Houston Rockets, who were both key players during the
2011–12 season. The Knicks decided not to match those teams' offers. Despite these losses, the Knicks continued to add players to the roster, signing former Chicago Bulls guard
Ronnie Brewer on July 25, 2012, and signing
Chris Smith, the younger brother of
J. R. Smith
Earl Joseph "J. R." Smith III (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball at New Jers ...
, on August 1, 2012. It was also announced that
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...
would come out of retirement to play for the Knicks on October 2, 2012.
Despite playing without an injured Iman Shumpert and Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks compiled an 18–5 record to start the season, their best start since
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
. In their first four games, they scored at least 100 points and won by double digits in all of those games. The streak ended after a 10-point loss to
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
. The following Sunday, in a game against the
Indiana Pacers, the Knicks at home went on to win 88–76, assuring them a 7–1 record. After two tough losses to the
Dallas Mavericks and
Houston Rockets, the Knicks returned home in a game against the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
on November 25, with a 121–100 blowout win, making them one of only three teams undefeated at home along with the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz. The Knicks finished November with an 11–4 record, their best month record since going 11–6 in March 2000. By the All-Star break in mid-February 2013, the Knicks compiled a 32–18 record, good for second in the Eastern Conference. On February 21, on the trade deadline, the team traded Ronnie Brewer for a 2014 second-round draft pick. The Knicks then signed veteran power forward
Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract. In late March, the Knicks went on to compile a four-game losing streak, tying their worst skid of the season. They would go on and face the Jazz on the road, eventually winning the game and starting what would turn out to be a 13-game winning streak, including wins against the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was the third-longest winning streak in franchise history. On April 9, the Knicks beat the Washington Wizards to secure the Atlantic Division title for the first time since the 1993–94 NBA season. The Knicks' 13-game winning streak came to an end on April 11 as they lost to the Chicago Bulls. Despite that, they set the NBA single-season record for three-pointers. On May 3, the Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs, 4–2, their first playoff victory since 2000. On May 18, the Knicks were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, losing the series to the Indiana Pacers 4–2. Point guard Jason Kidd retired following the end of the season—he was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets a few days later. In the 2013 NBA draft, the Knicks selected
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Timothy Duane Hardaway Jr. (born March 16, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and declared for th ...
as the 24th pick in the first round. During the 2013 off-season, The Knicks claimed Los Angeles Lakers F
Metta World Peace
Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr.; November 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name to Metta World Peace in 2011 and later to Metta Sandifor ...
off of waivers. They re-signed J. R. Smith to a 3-year, $18 million deal and traded
Quentin Richardson
Quentin Lamar Richardson (born April 13, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who was formerly the director of player development for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Q-Rich", he p ...
,
Steve Novak
Steven Michael Novak (born June 13, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a television analyst for the Milwaukee Bucks on Fox Sports Wisconsin. He is listed as 6'10", 225 lbs. He played college basketbal ...
,
Marcus Camby Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to:
* Marcus (name), a masculine given name
* Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name
Places
* Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44
* Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
, and three draft picks to acquire
Andrea Bargnani
Andrea Bargnani (; born 26 October 1985) is an Italian former professional basketball player. The 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) power forward- center played for Benetton Treviso in the Italian LBA and the EuroLeague before being selected firs ...
from the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
.
2013–2017: Phil Jackson era
The Knicks also saw changes to business operations in late 2013, replacing general manager Glen Grunwald with former MSG president
Steve Mills.
The Knicks also purchased an
NBA D-League team located
White Plains, which began operations at the start of the
2014–15 NBDL season. The Knicks then appointed former coach
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
as president of basketball operations, with Mills remaining as general manager, with the duo working directly under MSG chairman James Dolan.
Following the
2013–14 season, coach
Mike Woodson
Michael Dean Woodson (born March 24, 1958) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team.
With coach Bob Knight's Indiana Hoosiers, Woodson played collegiate ...
and his entire staff were fired, and was replaced by
Derek Fisher
Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Fisher played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 18 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Los A ...
. Fisher played under Jackson with the
Los Angeles Lakers, winning five
NBA championships
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...
with the franchise. The Knicks finished the season with a disappointing 37–45 record and finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, but was the season
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
established his career high, the Knicks' franchise record, and the Madison Square Garden record for single-game scoring. Anthony recorded 62 points and 13 rebounds in a victory against the
Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...
.
![Phil Jackson 3 cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Phil_Jackson_3_cropped.jpg)
''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' magazine released its franchise value rankings for NBA teams, and listed the Knicks as the world's most valuable basketball organization at $1.4 billion in 2014, edging out the
Los Angeles Lakers by $50 million. The Knicks were valued at 40% more than the third-place
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
valuation of $1 billion, and were valued nearly twice as highly as their crosstown rivals, the
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...
, who came in at $780 million.
In the off-season, the Knicks traded controversial guard
Raymond Felton
Raymond Bernard Felton Jr. (born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Felton played college basketball for the University of North Carolina under head coach Roy Williams.
At North Carolina, Felton led the Tar Hee ...
, along with former NBA defensive player of the year,
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
, to the
Dallas Mavericks. In return, the Knicks received
Shane Larkin
DeShane Davis Larkin (born October 2, 1992) is an American-Turkish professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Turkish national team in international c ...
,
José Calderón,
Samuel Dalembert
Samuel Davis Dalembert (born May 10, 1981) is a Haitian-Canadian former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Seton Hall University. During his active NB ...
, and
Wayne Ellington
Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. (born November 29, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the University of North Carolina from 2006 to ...
along with two picks for the
2014 NBA draft
The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...
. The trade was the first one that Jackson ever executed as a front office executive. On June 26, as part of the draft, the Knicks selected
Cleanthony Early as the 34th overall pick, and
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Athanasios Rotimi "Thanasis" Antetokounmpo, (born Adetokunbo; July 18, 1992) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at 6 feet and 7 inches, he plays the ...
as the 51st overall pick, using the draft picks received in the trade from the Mavericks. The Knicks also acquired
Louis Labeyrie, an additional second-round draft pick, in a trade with the
Indiana Pacers for cash considerations.
The Knicks would then go onto set a franchise record with its 13th consecutive loss, losing 101–91 to the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
, giving New York its longest losing streak in the franchise's 69-season history. This record was extended to 16th consecutive losses, after the
NBA Global Games
The NBA Global Games are a series of games featuring NBA teams that are played outside the United States and Canada. Its purpose is to bring teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) to play games against either another NBA team or a for ...
loss against the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
in London. The Knicks would finish the
2014–15 season with a win–loss record of 17–65, the worst record in franchise history, and allowed them to gain the 4th overall selection in the upcoming draft. The Knicks also bought out
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
's $100 million contract a season early.
On June 24, 2015, the Knicks selected
Kristaps Porziņģis
Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...
with the fourth overall pick in the draft, and traded
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Timothy Duane Hardaway Jr. (born March 16, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and declared for th ...
to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for
Jerian Grant
Holdyn Jerian Grant (born October 9, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Türk Telekom B.K., Türk Telekom of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball with the University of Notre Dame and was considered on ...
, the 19th overall pick. Midway through another losing season, Fisher was relieved of his coaching duties, with
Kurt Rambis
Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958) is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he won fou ...
being named as interim head coach as the Knicks finished the season with a record of 32–50.
Jeff Hornacek
Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...
was then hired as their next head coach, which also oversaw Jackson's most notable acts as an executive. On June 22, former
NBA MVP
The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...
Derrick Rose was traded, along with
Justin Holiday
Justin Alaric Holiday (born April 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. He won an NBA championship w ...
and a second-round pick from Chicago, to New York in exchange for
Robin Lopez
Robin Byron Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 15th pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, was trad ...
,
José Calderón and Grant. The Knicks also signed
Joakim Noah
Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is an American-born French-Swedish former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago B ...
,
Brandon Jennings
Brandon Byron Jennings (born September 23, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known for being one of the first Americans to go from high school to ...
, and
Courtney Lee
Courtney Lee (born October 3, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Western Kentucky University.
Lee was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and wa ...
to contracts worth a combined $127 million, and regressed the following season, causing the franchise to part ways with Jackson after three years as the Knicks' president of basketball operations.
Under Jackson's presidency, the Knicks had gone 80–166, suffered three consecutive losing seasons, and missed three consecutive playoffs.
In his last act prior to leaving the Knicks, Jackson selected
Frank Ntilikina
Frank Bryan Ntilikina (; born 28 July 1998) is a French professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the New York Knicks as the eighth overall pick during the 2017 NBA dr ...
with the eighth overall pick,
Damyean Dotson
Damyean Da'Kethe Dotson (born May 6, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Gaziantep Basketbol of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for Oregon and Houston before being selected with the 44th pick ...
with the 44th overall pick, and
Ognjen Jaramaz
Ognjen Jaramaz ( sr, Огњен Јарамаз; born September 1, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he plays at the point guard and shootin ...
with the 58th overall pick in the
2017 NBA draft
The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players.
...
.
2017–2020: Further struggles
Following Jackson's departure, the Knicks appointed
Scott Perry as general manager and named
Steve Mills president of basketball operations.
The Knicks also saw Carmelo Anthony demanding a trade from the team, which posed difficulty for both player and franchise due to a no-trade clause inserted in Anthony's contract given by Jackson in 2013. Originally, the only teams for which he would waive his no-trade clause were for the
Cleveland Cavaliers and the
Houston Rockets, with the former eventually removed from trade discussions due to internal conflicts. Anthony intended to join the Rockets, with a three-way trade with the
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
set up involving
Ryan Anderson. Anderson's three-year, $60 million contract was not feasibly able to be absorbed by either franchise, however, causing Perry to cease talks with the Rockets, before agreeing to a deal with the
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
, after Anthony agreed to expand his no-trade clause to include the Thunder. The Knicks received
Enes Kanter
Enes Kanter Freedom (; born Enes Kanter; May 20, 1992) is a professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, he was raised in Turkey and m ...
,
Doug McDermott
Douglas Richard McDermott (born January 3, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing college basketball for Creighton University, he led the nation i ...
and a 2018 second-round pick in exchange for Anthony on September 25, 2017, while also positioning
Kristaps Porziņģis
Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...
as the new centerpiece of the franchise.
The Knicks also re-signed
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Timothy Duane Hardaway Jr. (born March 16, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and declared for th ...
to a four-year, $71 million contract, while also agreeing to a one-year, minimum contract with
Michael Beasley
Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State Univers ...
. The franchise also traded for former lottery pick
Emmanuel Mudiay
Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is a Congolese-American professional basketball player for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas, where he ...
from the
Denver Nuggets at the trade deadline, who was a point guard the Knicks were rumored to have targeted prior to selecting Porziņģis in 2015. The trade also included the
Dallas Mavericks, with Dallas acquiring McDermott from the Knicks, and the Nuggets obtaining
Devin Harris
Devin Lamar Harris (born February 27, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Harris attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Harris was selected with the fifth pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards.
E ...
from Dallas. However, the season again ended poorly, with 29–53 record to leave the Knicks as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference. This caused the Knicks to part ways with head coach
Jeff Hornacek
Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...
. Hornacek's two full seasons retained criticism for the team's continued struggle on defense, as well as the inability to implement an efficient, modern offense. He was replaced with former
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
head coach
David Fizdale
David Sean Fizdale (born June 16, 1974) is an American professional basketball manager. He is currently the assistant general manager for the Utah Jazz. He previously was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, the head coach for the New ...
. Fizdale signed a four-year deal, and was tasked to deliver on player development and improving the team's basketball philosophy.
On May 15, 2018, the Knicks were awarded the ninth overall pick in the
2018 NBA draft, and selected
Kevin Knox from the
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
. The team also acquired
Mitchell Robinson
Mitchell Robinson III (born April 1, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Before beginning hi ...
with the 36th overall pick, and signed former lottery pick
Mario Hezonja
Mario Hezonja (; born 25 February 1995) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. He was selected with the fifth over ...
. They further invested in untapped potential by signing another former lottery pick, with
Noah Vonleh
Noah Vonleh (born August 24, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers.
High school career
Vonl ...
agreeing to a one-year deal. However, following a dismal start to
the season, and after a meeting with Porziņģis gave team officials the impression that he wanted to be traded, Porziņģis was traded on January 30, 2019, alongside
Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–13 season, he earne ...
,
Courtney Lee
Courtney Lee (born October 3, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Western Kentucky University.
Lee was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and wa ...
and
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Timothy Duane Hardaway Jr. (born March 16, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and declared for th ...
, to the
Dallas Mavericks in exchange for
DeAndre Jordan
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Jordan was se ...
,
Wesley Matthews
Wesley Joel Matthews Jr. (born October 14, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles. He is the son of ...
,
Dennis Smith Jr.
Dennis Cliff Smith Jr. (born November 25, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended North Carolina State University for one season of college basketba ...
, an unprotected 2021 first-round draft pick, and an additional top-ten protected 2023 first-round draft pick. The Knicks finished the 2018–19 season with a league worst 17–65 regular season record, but the season was notable for the emergence of undrafted rookie
Allonzo Trier
Allonzo Brian Trier (born January 17, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. As a sophomore in 2016–17, he earned sec ...
, as well as for the progression of Dotson and Robinson. The Knicks won the third overall pick in the
2019 NBA draft
The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...
, and selected
RJ Barrett
Rowan Alexander "RJ" Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks ...
from
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
. The team also traded for forward
Iggy Brazdeikis, who was drafted in the second round from
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
.
In preparation for the 2019–20 season, and as a result of having a record $74 million in cap space following the Porziņģis trade, the team divided it among five new signings. The Knicks agreed terms with veteran role players
Wayne Ellington
Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. (born November 29, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the University of North Carolina from 2006 to ...
and
Taj Gibson
Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gibson played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected 26th overall by th ...
, with forward
Bobby Portis also signing. The team then signed former lottery picks
Elfrid Payton and
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
. On February 4, 2020, the Knicks fired Steve Mills after seven seasons as president with Scott Perry taking over on an interim basis.
2020–present: Return to the playoffs
On March 2, 2020,
Leon Rose
Leon Rose (born 1961) is an American basketball executive, Lawyer, attorney and sports agent. He serves as president of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a sports agent, Rose represented a number of prominent N ...
was named president of the team.
On July 30, the Knicks announced that they hired
Tom Thibodeau
Thomas Joseph Thibodeau Jr. ( ; born January 17, 1958) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served as an assistant coach for the United States men's national ...
as their head coach.
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
had a breakout season and, on February 23, 2021, Randle was named as a reserve for the
2021 NBA All-Star Game
The 2021 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on March 7, 2021, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season. It was the 70th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was hosted at State Farm Arena in ...
. On May 3, with a 118–104 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
, the Knicks clinched their first winning season since the
2012–13 season. On May 12, the Knicks clinched their first playoff appearance since 2013, ending their eight-year playoff drought. At the end of the regular season, Randle was named
NBA Most Improved Player
The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...
, while Thibodeau was named the
NBA Coach of the Year
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led ...
, becoming the first Knicks head coach since
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
in
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
to receive the award. The Knicks faced the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
in the first round of the
2021 NBA playoffs as the fourth seed, losing in five games. Fan attendance in home games during the 2020–21 season was prohibited until February 23, 2021, per an executive order from
Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cu ...
. The Knicks reopened
Madison Square Garden to spectators on February 23.
In the 2021 off-season, the Knicks retained much of their old talent, while bringing in former all-star guard
Kemba Walker and forward
Evan Fournier
Evan Mehdi Fournier (; born 29 October 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played junior basketball at the French INSEP academy from 2007 to 2009.
Early life
F ...
. Additionally, after Randle's breakthrough season, the Knicks extended his contract for four years in August 2021.
On January 13, 2022, the Knicks traded former eighth overall pick of the
2018 NBA draft,
Kevin Knox and a protected future first round pick in exchange for former 10th overall pick of the
2019 NBA draft
The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...
,
Cam Reddish
Cameron Elijah Reddish (born September 1, 1999) is an American basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was selected 10th overall by t ...
,
Solomon Hill and a 2025 second-round draft pick and cash considerations. During the 2021–22 season, the Knicks struggled regressed finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 37–45 record.
Randle took a step back having a down season across the boards and his shooting percentages took a hit that resulted in fans booing Randle and increased trade rumours, and the lack of leadership of Randle was questioned, along with attitude and desire to be a Knick.
Head coach Thibodeau was questioned if he was the right coach for the Knicks heading onwards. The signings of guard
Kemba Walker and forward
Evan Fournier
Evan Mehdi Fournier (; born 29 October 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played junior basketball at the French INSEP academy from 2007 to 2009.
Early life
F ...
were considered extreme failures that set the Knicks back as well. The third overall pick of the
2019 NBA draft
The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...
,
RJ Barrett
Rowan Alexander "RJ" Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks ...
in his third season averaged 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Season-by-season record
''List of the last five seasons completed by the Knicks. For the full season-by-season history, see
List of New York Knicks seasons
The New York Knickerbockers, better known as the New York Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City that competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA). An original member of the NBA, the Knicks play in the Eastern C ...
.''
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage''
Logos and uniforms
1946–1964: Father Knickerbocker era
The first logo of the New York Knicks is of a character named "Father Knickerbocker" dribbling a basketball, in the iconic blue and orange colors. It was designed by
New York World-Telegram
The ''New York World-Telegram'', later known as the ''New York World-Telegram and The Sun'', was a New York City newspaper from 1931 to 1966.
History
Founded by James Gordon Bennett Sr. as ''The Evening Telegram'' in 1867, the newspaper began ...
cartoonist Willard Mullin.
From the beginning, the Knicks home uniforms are in white with blue and orange trim, while the away uniforms are in blue with orange and white trim. The first iterations contain monotone lettering in blue (home) and orange (away) lettering, with the addition of a checkerboard pattern during the mid-1950s.
1964–1992: The Classic roundball era
The Knicks would introduce an iconic logo that would endure for the next three decades. Designed by Bud Freeman, the word 'Knicks' superimposed over a brown basketball is known as the 'Classic Roundball Logo', with minor changes throughout its lifespan such as maroon wordmark and orange basketball.
An alternate logo featuring the full team name inside an orange basketball was used during the late 1960s and into the 1970s. As the 1960s began, the Knicks updated their uniforms again. This time the lettering is in serifed fonts, and the blue lettering and numbers on the home uniforms are now trimmed in orange. The away uniforms maintained the orange lettering but added white trim; it later changed to white letters while adding white trim on the piping. Side stripes were also added to the uniform. The 'NY' monogram is on the left leg of the shorts.
1968–1979; 1983–1997: Championship era uniforms
The Knicks unveiled a uniform that would stay for three decades. This uniform, with an arched 'NEW YORK' in serif lettering and in orange, would be the uniform worn during their 1970 and 1973 championship seasons; however, they were not introduced simultaneously. The home uniforms would debut in 1968, while the away uniforms debuted the following year. One noticeable feature was that the player's name was in a straight block arched lettering (which is also called the "vertical arch" style), which was meticulously designed by
Gerry Cosby and his sporting goods company. The unusual arrangement on the player's name was later adopted by several
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
teams in the 1970s, and are currently used by the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
,
Detroit Red Wings and
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
. On the shorts, there was no logo placed during much of the 1970s, but during the 1978–79 season, the side stripes were eliminated and the interlocking 'NY' logo inside an apple was placed instead. When this uniform style was reinstated for the 1983–84 season, it now featured the player's number and the interlocking 'NY' logo, in addition to the return of the side stripes. The shorts number was eliminated in 1987, while variations of the 'Roundball Logo' replaced the 'NY' logo from 1991 to 1997. Since the 1991–92 season various outfitters such as
Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
,
Puma,
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
,
Adidas, and
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
have taken over uniform production from Cosby, with player names on the back reverted to a radial arch and added serifs.
1979–1983: Maroon era uniforms
At the beginning of the 1980s, the Knicks radically changed their uniforms. Royal blue and orange were replaced by navy and maroon. During this period, the home uniforms featured the team name below the number, both in maroon with navy trim and in a stylized, free-flowing font. Navy away uniforms continue to feature the city name but below the white and maroon number. The interlocking 'NY' logo debuted on the shorts, with the addition of player numbers and side stripes during the 1981–82 season.
The change to maroon and navy was initiated by then-team president
E. Michael Burke
Edmund Michael Burke (August 6, 1916 – February 5, 1987) was a U.S. Navy Officer, O.S.S. agent, C.I.A. agent, general manager of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, CBS executive, and President of the New York Yankees, the New York ...
, whose alma mater
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
wore those colors.
The 'Knicks' script from the 'Maroon Era' uniforms was later reused in the uniforms of the Knicks'
NBA Development League affiliate
Westchester Knicks
The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in Whit ...
, with the same team name below the number format.
1992–2012: New look era
Before the 1992–93 season, the Knicks updated their 'Roundball Logo' to its present form, with the word 'Knicks' in a futuristic font, again superimposed over a basketball, with a silver triangle accentuating the look. The "New Look" logo was designed by Tom O'Grady.
For the 1995–96 season, the city name in a futuristic script was added atop the logo, while an alternate 'Subway Token' logo featuring the acronym 'NYK' was introduced. Black was also introduced as an accent color. The logo was added while the 'Championship Era' uniforms were still in use, but during the 1995–96 season, the Knicks unveiled a blue alternate uniform, this time featuring black side stripes and the aforementioned 'Subway Token' logo on the shorts' beltline. A home white version of this uniform was introduced for the 1997–98 season, effectively retiring the championship era uniforms. In the 2001–02 season, the side stripes were narrowed, while the 'Subway Token' logo was moved to the back of the uniform, and the Knicks primary logo moved from the side to the front of the shorts.
2012–present: Modern era
The Knicks updated their "New Look Logo", this time eliminating the color black from the scheme. They still used the previous uniform during the 2011–12 season, but for the 2012–13 season, the Knicks unveiled new uniforms inspired from their 'Championship Era' uniforms. A more subtle and bolder 'New York' script was introduced, while the uniform piping stopped until the lettering. The phrase ''Once A Knick, Always A Knick'' is added on the uniform collar. Gray became the accent color. In addition, an updated version of their 1970s secondary logo, this time featuring only the team name, was introduced.
On October 25, 2013, the Knicks unveiled an alternate orange uniform, which is essentially a mirror image of the blue away uniforms, but with orange as the primary color and blue and white as trim colors. The uniforms debuted on October 31 in a road game against the Chicago Bulls, and were used in the first five weekend home games, but after going 0–6 in the orange uniforms, they were discontinued permanently.
Beginning with the 2017–18 season,
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
became the NBA's new uniform provider. Under Nike, "home" and "away" uniform designations were eliminated, and in their place were the white "Association" set, primary color "Icon" set, alternate color "Statement" set, and annual "City" set that were used either at home or away. The Knicks kept their white "Association" and blue "Icon" uniforms almost intact with only a few alterations such as truncated shoulder and shorts striping and the modern roundball logo on the waistband.
From 2017 to 2019, the Knicks' "Statement" uniform featured a white base with lettering in orange with white and blue trim. The striping was inspired from the team's 1970s-era uniforms. In the 2019–20 season, the Knicks changed their Statement uniform to a blue base and white lettering with blue and orange trim. The white letters were a nod to the team's 1960s blue uniforms. As with the previous "Statement" uniform, the striping was based on the team's 1970s uniforms. Before the 2022–23 season, the "Statement" uniform was again changed, this time with a navy base and orange gradient striping. The 1995–2011 "New Look" logo was placed on either side of the shorts. Letters are orange with blue trim.
Special uniforms
The Knicks have also worn special edition uniforms every March as part of the NBA's Noche Latina events and during
St. Patrick's Day. The uniforms during Noche Latina were originally white with blue and orange trim, first using the 2001–12 uniform from 2008 to 2012, and then the current uniforms from 2012 to 2015, the only exception being ''Nueva York'' in front. In the 2015–16 season, the Knicks used a variation of their away blue uniform for Noche Latina. The Saint Patrick's Day uniforms used the road uniform template except for green substituting for the blue base. These uniforms have also been used on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
from the 2009–10 season, and was worn in particular by
Nate Robinson
Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA draft. ...
for a "Kryptonate vs. Superman" theme against Dwight Howard in the
2009 Slam Dunk Contest. The St. Patrick's uniforms were shelved after the 2011–12 season.
On Christmas Day 2012, the Knicks wore monochrome uniforms known as 'Big Color'. The uniforms are mostly orange, with blue trimming. The following year, the Knicks wore sleeved orange uniforms known as 'Big Logo', featuring a chrome-treated Knicks logo in front. For the 2014 edition, the Knicks wore a variation of their home uniforms, featuring the team logo in front and the player's first name in a blue nameplate below the number. The 2016 Christmas Day game against the Celtics saw the Knicks wear an all-blue uniform without additional striping, complete with fancy scripted orange lettering and numbers.
As part of its deal with Nike, a special "City" uniform would be used to pay tribute to either local culture or team traditions. The Knicks' 2017–18 "City" uniform, which is navy with orange and grey trim and features an emblem containing the team name, uniform number, a ladder with a silhouette of a firefighter, a fire hydrant, and the abbreviation "N.Y.C." for New York City, pays homage to the city's firefighters and their families. It was designed in collaboration with the Knicks, the NBA, Nike and the
Uniformed Firefighters Association
The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater NY is Local 94 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the union representing New York City Firefighters. Founded in 1917, the UFA is a non-profit advocacy organization representing the ...
.
The Knicks' second "City" uniform is also in navy and features white lettering, a straight aligned "New York" wordmark in front and alternating stripes of blue, navy and orange designed to mimic the New York City skyline. The blue and orange arm striping was inspired from the team's 1950s uniforms. The Knicks initially debuted the uniform in the 2018–19 season, and was retained the following season.
The Knicks' 2020–21 "City" uniform is designed in collaboration with Kith. The uniform is predominantly black with blue and orange side gradients. The roundel in front features both the full team name and the "city never sleeps" nickname in a white, blue and orange gradient, and white numbers with blue drop shadows are added inside. The "NYC" acronym in black and white trim is placed within the Nike mark.
The Knicks' 2021–22 "City" uniform featured another collaboration with Kith. The predominantly black uniform featured the classic "New York" wordmark in white with orange trim, and orange numbers with white trim. Those elements, along with the 1992 "New Look" logo on the waist, paid tribute to the 1995–2001 blue uniforms. Along the side, black and gray checkerboard stripes were an homage to the 1950s set. A silhouette of the classic Madison Square Garden logo was added to the side stripes on the shorts.
Another Kith-collaborated "City" uniform was released in the 2022–23 season. This design was inspired by the blue uniforms they wore from 1995 to 2001, but with black as the base color.
Throwback uniforms
The Knicks were one of several NBA teams to wear throwback uniforms during the league's 50th anniversary in the 1996–97 season. The throwback set they wore that season represented the franchise's first season in 1946–47. However, both the blue and white throwbacks featured blue letters with orange trim (the originals had only orange letters on the blue uniform and blue letters on the white uniform minus any additional trim).
In the 2004–05 season, the Knicks wore throwback white uniforms from the "maroon era" of the early 1980s. The only difference from the originals was that the letters on the player's name were arranged in a radial arch (the originals were designed in a vertical arch) and were smaller in size.
The following season, the Knicks wore throwback blue checkerboard uniforms from the mid-1950s, which featured the "Father Knickerbocker" logo on the left leg (the originals did not feature said logo).
For the 2007–08 season, the Knicks wore their classic white uniforms as a tribute to the early 1970s championship teams. As with the "maroon era" throwbacks, the player's name no longer appeared in a vertical arch and were smaller in size. In addition, the original "roundball" logo was added (the original uniforms had no logo on the shorts).
The 2010–11 season saw the Knicks wear the blue uniforms to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1969–70 championship team. However, the design they wore that season faithfully replicated those of the 1991–92 Knicks team, complete with radially-arched serifed block letters on the player's name and the "roundball" logo on the shorts. In the original version, the shorts had no logo while the player name is arranged in a vertical arch and in a sans-serif block font.
In the 2015–16 season, the Knicks wore throwback white versions of the mid-1950s checkerboard uniforms in commemoration of the franchise's 70th season.
In the 2021–22 season, the Knicks, along with the Celtics and Warriors, were one of three teams to wear a "Classic Edition" uniform to commemorate each franchise and the NBA's 75th anniversary. The Knicks design harkened back to the original white uniforms from 1946, complete with enlarged blue numbers, blue waistbands, and blue and orange side stripes.
Players
Current roster
Retained draft rights
The Knicks hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends. This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.
Retired numbers
Notes:
*
1 Also served as a broadcaster.
*
2 Also served as head coach (1965–1968) and scouting director.
*
3 Also served as head coach (1977–1978).
*
4 As head coach; the number represents his 613 victories coaching the Knicks.
*
5 Number retired twice, first for Monroe and six years later for McGuire.
* The NBA retired
Bill Russell
William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...
's No. 6 for all its member teams on August 11, 2022.
Basketball Hall of Famers
Notes:
*
1 In total, Ewing was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the
1992 Olympic team.
*
2 In total, Wilkens was inducted into the Hall of Fame three times – as player, as coach and as a member of the
1992 Olympic team.
*
3 In total, Lucas was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the
1960 Olympic team.
*
4 In total, Bellamy was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the
1960 Olympic team.
*
5 Also served as assistant coach (1983–1985).
*
6 Also served as head coach (1965–1966).
*
7 Also served as head coach (1959–1961).
All-Star Game selections
The following Knicks players were selected to the
NBA All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...
.
*
Vince Boryla
Vincent Joseph Boryla (March 11, 1927 – March 27, 2016) was an American basketball player, coach and executive. His nickname was "Moose". He graduated from East Chicago Washington High School in 1944. He played basketball at the University of N ...
–
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the United ...
*
Harry Gallatin – 1951–
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...
*
Dick McGuire – 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956
*
Max Zaslofsky
Max "Slats" Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 – October 15, 1985) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was first-team All- NBA in the league's first four seasons. In the 1947–48 BAA season, at 21 years of age, he led the BAA ...
– 1952
*
Carl Braun – 1953–1957
*
Nathaniel Clifton – 1957
*
Richie Guerin
Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atla ...
–
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
–
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
*
Willie Naulls
William Dean Naulls (October 7, 1934 – November 22, 2018) was an American professional basketball player for 10 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a four-time NBA All-Star with the New York Knicks and won three NBA ...
– 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962
*
Ken Sears – 1958, 1959
*
Johnny Green – 1962, 1963,
1965
*
Tom Gola
Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all-time. Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball ...
– 1963,
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
*
Len Chappell – 1964
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1965–
1971
*
Dick Barnett
Richard Barnett (born October 2, 1936) is an American former basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Syracuse Nationals, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. He won two NBA championshi ...
– 1968
*
Dave DeBusschere
David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player and coach and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 a ...
– 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970–
1974
*
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...
– 1970–
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
*
Bill Bradley – 1973
*
Earl Monroe
Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...
: 1975,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
*
Bob McAdoo
Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most ...
: 1977,
1978
*
Bill Cartwright
James William Cartwright (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'1" (2.16 m) center, he played 16 seasons for the N ...
:
1980
*
Micheal Ray Richardson
Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in ...
: 1980,
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
,
1982
*
Bernard King
Bernard King (born December 4, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors ...
–
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
,
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
*
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
–
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
,
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
–
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
*
Mark Jackson – 1989
*
Charles Oakley
Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ...
– 1994
*
John Starks – 1994
*
Allan Houston –
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2001
*
Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...
– 2001
*
David Lee –
2010
*
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
–
2011
*
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
–
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
–
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
*
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
– 2013
*
Kristaps Porziņģis
Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...
–
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
*
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
–
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
Staff
Management
Steve Mills served as general manager and president during the 2013–14 season. At the end of the 2013–14 season
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
replaced Mills as team's president.
He was reinstated as president in 2017, with
Scott Perry replacing him as general manager.
Team presidents
Owners
Head coaches
Franchise leaders
Bold denotes still active with team.
''Italic'' denotes still active, but not with team.
Points scored (regular season) as of the end of the 2021–22 season
#
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
(23,665)
#
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...
(14,617)
#
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
(12,183)
#
Allan Houston (11,165)
#
Carl Braun (10,449)
#
Richie Guerin
Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atla ...
(10,392)
# ''
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
'' (10,186)
#
Earl Monroe
Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...
(9,679)
#
Dick Barnett
Richard Barnett (born October 2, 1936) is an American former basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Syracuse Nationals, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. He won two NBA championshi ...
(9,442)
#
Bill Bradley (9,217)
#
Bill Cartwright
James William Cartwright (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'1" (2.16 m) center, he played 16 seasons for the N ...
(9,006)
#
John Starks (8,489)
#
Willie Naulls
William Dean Naulls (October 7, 1934 – November 22, 2018) was an American professional basketball player for 10 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a four-time NBA All-Star with the New York Knicks and won three NBA ...
(8,318)
#
Gerald Wilkins
Gerald Bernard Wilkins (born September 11, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a 6'6" (1.98 m) shooting guard/small forward, who played collegiately at Moberly Area Community College and the University of Tennessee a ...
(8,258)
#
Harry Gallatin (7,771)
#
Charles Oakley
Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ...
(7,528)
#
Dave DeBusschere
David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player and coach and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 a ...
(6,957)
#
Kenny Sears (6,854)
#
Ray Williams (6,555)
#
Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...
(6,284)
Other statistics (regular season) as of the end of the 2021–22 season
Individual awards
NBA MVP
The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1970
NBA Finals MVP
The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of e ...
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1970, 1973
NBA Rookie of the Year
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1965
*
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
– 1986
*
Mark Jackson – 1988
NBA Sixth Man of the Year
The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substitu ...
*
Anthony Mason – 1995
*
John Starks – 1997
*
J. R. Smith
Earl Joseph "J. R." Smith III (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball at New Jers ...
− 2013
NBA Defensive Player of the Year
The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswrite ...
*
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
– 2012
NBA Most Improved Player
The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...
*
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
– 2021
NBA Coach of the Year
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led ...
*
Red Holzman
William "Red" Holzman (August 10, 1920 – November 13, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to ...
– 1970
*
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
– 1993
*
Tom Thibodeau
Thomas Joseph Thibodeau Jr. ( ; born January 17, 1958) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served as an assistant coach for the United States men's national ...
– 2021
NBA Sportsmanship Award
The NBA Sportsmanship Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to a player who most "exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court with ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity." It is directly analogous to th ...
*
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards a ...
– 2013
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
The J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award was an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given from 1975 to 2020 to a player, coach, or staff member who showed "outstanding service and dedication to the community." The award was named in ...
*
Mike Glenn
Michael Theodore "Stinger" Glenn (born September 10, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player.
College career
Moving on to Southern Illinois University, Glenn was an All-Missouri Valley Conference college basketball player, gra ...
– 1981
*
Rory Sparrow
Rory Darnell Sparrow (born June 12, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Born in Suffolk, Virginia, Sparrow played at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, ...
– 1986
NBA scoring champion
*
Bernard King
Bernard King (born December 4, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors ...
– 1985
*
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
– 2013
NBA All-Star Game head coaches
*
Joe Lapchick
Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick (April 12, 1900 – August 10, 1970) was an American professional basketball player, mostly known for playing with the Original Celtics in the 1920s and 1930s. He is commonly regarded as the best center of his era, overs ...
– 1951, 1953, 1954
*
Red Holzman
William "Red" Holzman (August 10, 1920 – November 13, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to ...
– 1970, 1971
*
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
– 1993
*
Jeff Van Gundy
Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his t ...
– 2000
All-NBA First Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...
*
Harry Gallatin – 1954
*
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...
– 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1970
*
Bernard King
Bernard King (born December 4, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors ...
– 1984, 1985
*
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
– 1990
All-NBA Second Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
*
Carl Braun – 1948, 1954
*
Dick McGuire – 1951
*
Harry Gallatin – 1955
*
Richie Guerin
Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atla ...
– 1959, 1960, 1962
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1967–1969, 1971
*
Dave DeBusschere
David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player and coach and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 a ...
– 1969
*
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...
– 1971, 1973
*
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
– 1988, 1989, 1991–1993, 1997
*
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
– 2011
*
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
– 2013
*
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
– 2021
All-NBA Third Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
*
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
– 2012
*
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
– 2012
NBA All-Defensive First Team
The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...
*
Dave DeBusschere
David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player and coach and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 a ...
– 1969–1974
*
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...
– 1969–1975
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1970
*
Micheal Ray Richardson
Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in ...
– 1981
*
Charles Oakley
Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ...
– 1994
*
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
– 2013
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...
*
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
– 1988, 1989, 1992
*
John Starks – 1993
*
Charles Oakley
Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ...
– 1998
*
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
– 2012
NBA All-Rookie First Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...
*
Art Heyman
Arthur Bruce Heyman (June 24, 1941 – August 27, 2012) was an American professional basketball player. Playing for Duke University in college, in 1963 he was USBWA Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, UPI Player of the Year, ''Sporting ...
– 1964
*
Jim Barnes
James Martin Barnes (April 8, 1886 – May 24, 1966) was an English golfer and a leading figure in the early years of professional golf in the United States. He is one of three native Britons (with Tommy Armour and Rory McIlroy) to win three di ...
– 1965
*
Howard Komives – 1965
*
Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...
– 1965
*
Dick Van Arsdale
Richard Albert Van Arsdale (born February 22, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, and a current National Basketball Association (NBA) executive.
A graduate of Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, Van A ...
– 1966
*
Cazzie Russell – 1967
*
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...
– 1968
*
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
– 1968
*
Bill Cartwright
James William Cartwright (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'1" (2.16 m) center, he played 16 seasons for the N ...
– 1980
*
Darrell Walker
Darrell Walker (born March 9, 1961) is an American college basketball coach and retired professional player. He is currently head men's coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. At 6'4" (1.93 m) and 180 lb (82 kg), he played as ...
– 1984
*
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
– 1986
*
Mark Jackson – 1988
*
Channing Frye
Channing Thomas Frye (born May 17, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward- center, he played college basketball for the University of Arizona. He was drafted eighth overall by the New York Knicks in the 200 ...
– 2006
*
Landry Fields
Landry Addison Fields (born June 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Fields played five seasons in the NBA for ...
– 2011
*
Iman Shumpert
Iman Asante Shumpert ( ; born June 26, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Shumpert was selected by the New York Knicks with the 17th overall pic ...
– 2012
*
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Timothy Duane Hardaway Jr. (born March 16, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and declared for th ...
– 2014
*
Kristaps Porziņģis
Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...
– 2016
*
Willy Hernangómez
Guillermo Gustavo "Willy" Hernangómez Geuer (born 27 May 1994) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at , he plays at the center position.
Professional c ...
– 2017
NBA All-Rookie Second Team
*
Rod Strickland
Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's profe ...
– 1989
*
Langston Galloway
Langston Galloway (born December 9, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Saint Joseph's University.
High school career
Galloway attended Christi ...
– 2015
*
Mitchell Robinson
Mitchell Robinson III (born April 1, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Before beginning hi ...
– 2019
*
Immanuel Quickley
Immanuel Jaylen Quickley (born June 17, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
High school career
While a ...
– 2021
Rivalries
Boston Celtics
The New York Knicks and the
Boston Celtics are two of the three remaining teams from the original 1946 NBA (the other is the
Golden State Warriors). The rivalry stems from the old rivalry between the cities of New York City and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, as well as the
Yankees–Red Sox rivalry
The Yankees–Red Sox rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Both teams have competed in MLB's American League (AL) for over 120 seasons and have since developed what is arguably ...
. The fact that Boston and New York City are only 190 miles apart contributes to it, which is also seen in the
Jets–Patriots rivalry.
The teams have met nine times in the postseason. The last time was in the
2012–13 season, when
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
won the 2013 scoring title and helped them win the Atlantic Division for the first time since 1994. The Knicks faced the Celtics, who were without
Rajon Rondo
Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...
because of a mid-season injury, in the 1st round of the
2013 playoffs. In both games 1 and 2, Celtics had a lead going into halftime but were held to 25 and 23 points respectively in the second half, which was an all-time low for the franchise in the playoffs. Knicks gained a 3–0 lead in the series, but Boston avoided elimination in games 4 and 5. In game six, Knicks once led by 26 points in the fourth quarter, then the Celtics went onto a 20–0 run in less than 5 minutes to make it a close game, but Knicks still won and moved on to round 2.
Brooklyn Nets
The
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...
, formerly the New Jersey Nets, are the Knicks' closest rival geographically. Both teams play in New York City, with the Knicks in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and the Nets in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. Media outlets have noted the Knicks-Nets rivalry's similarity to those of other New York City teams, such as
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
's
Subway Series
The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry games played between the two teams based in New York City, the Yankees and the Mets. Previously, this applied to the Giants and Dodgers as well, before they moved out of New ...
rivalry between the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
's
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
(
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
) and the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
's
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
(
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
), due to both boroughs' proximity through the
New York City Subway. Historically, the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn competed via the
Dodgers–Giants rivalry, when the two teams were known as the
Brooklyn Dodgers and the
New York Giants. Like the Knicks and Nets, the Giants and Dodgers played in Manhattan and Brooklyn, respectively, and were fierce divisional rivals. The
rivalry
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
between the
New York Islanders and
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
also have this distinction when the Islanders moved to Brooklyn in 2015.
Due to the Knicks and Nets being located in the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, some media outlets have dubbed this rivalry "Clash of the Boroughs".
The Knicks and Nets have met in the playoffs three times, with the Knicks winning two of the three meetings. The Knicks defeated the Nets in the playoffs in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
and
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
, while the Nets won their most recent meeting in
2004.
Chicago Bulls
The Knicks have a strong rivalry with the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
. The rivalry's most intense period was during the late 1980s and early 90s, when both teams were huge playoff contenders. This intensity was due to a variety of factors: the great frequency in which the teams competed against each other in high-stakes contests and playoff series; well-known players such as
Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen
Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...
,
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
, and
John Starks; the reputations of the team's respective cities; and personnel changes and conflicts between the teams.
The rivalry was dormant through much of the 2000s, with both teams rebuilding after the retirements of
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
and
Michael Jordan. However, with the arrival of future NBA MVP
Derrick Rose in 2008, the Chicago Bulls began experiencing success once again. In the summer of 2010, the Bulls signed
Carlos Boozer
Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last seas ...
and the Knicks signed
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
, making both teams playoff contenders once again.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...
and
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
joined the Knicks soon after, and the rivalry between the two teams appears to have been reborn.
Indiana Pacers
The rivalry between the New York Knicks and the
Indiana Pacers started in 1993 and quickly became one of the most bitter in NBA history. They met in the playoffs 6 times from 1993 to 2000, fueling a rivalry epitomized by the enmity between
Reggie Miller
Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) ca ...
and prominent Knick fan
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
. Miller likened it to the
Hatfield–McCoy feud
The Hatfield–McCoy feud, also described by journalists as the Hatfield–McCoy conflict, involved two rural American families of the West Virginia–Kentucky area along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River in the years 1863–1891. The Hatfi ...
, and
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
said in 1998 that it was "as combustible as any in the league".
The rivalry gave Miller the nickname "The Knick-Killer". His clutch performances were frequently followed by jabs at Lee like the choke sign, adding fuel to the rivalry. The rivalry renewed during the
2013 NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with Indiana taking the series 4 games to 2.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat were one of the New York Knicks' strongest inter-divisional foes. The two teams met in the playoffs each year from 1997 to 2000, with all four of those series being played to the maximum number of games.
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
, the head coach of the Miami Heat at the time, served as the head coach of the Knicks from 1991 to 1995 and led the Knicks to the
1994 NBA Finals
The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference cham ...
. During this four-year span, the Heat and the Knicks each won two playoff series against each other.
The two teams met again in the first round of the
2012 NBA playoffs
The 2012 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2011–12 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thu ...
, for the first time since the 1990s rivalry days. The Heat won the series, 4–1, and later went on to win the
2012 NBA Finals
The 2012 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2011–12 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion ...
.
Citations
General and cited references
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External links
*
{{Authority control
1946 establishments in New York City
Basketball teams established in 1946
Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
Madison Square Garden Sports
National Basketball Association teams