"I'd shave my head bald": Stephen A. Smith would part with his hair if the Knicks clinch the NBA championship
Stephen A. Smith is one of the New York Knicks’ biggest and most loyal fans. He has been passionately rooting for his home team for over 50 years.
The last time the Knicks won the NBA championship, the sports analyst was only six. Only a few care more about the said franchise more than the First Take host.
Unfortunately for Smith and Knicks fans, they haven’t had much reason to celebrate since the late 1990s. From 2000-01 to 2022-23, New York has made the playoffs just seven times, making the Eastern Conference semifinals just twice since then.
During his podcast, Stephen A. Smith was asked about what he would do if the Knicks stunned the basketball world and won the NBA championship. The Bronx, New York native responded:
(45:27 mark)
“I’d shave my head bald, how about that? I’ve been holding on to it, that George Jefferson look, I’ve been holding on to it for dear life. I might let that go if they won a title.”
The New York Knicks won the championship in 1970 and 1973. They were perennial playoff contenders during the Patrick Ewing era in the 1980s. During Ewing’s 15-year career in the Big Apple, the Knicks went to the playoffs 13 times.
If not for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the Knicks might have had a better chance of winning the championship. From 1989 to 1996, the Bulls eliminated them in the playoffs five times. Without “His Airness” in 1994, Ewing’s Knicks reached the NBA Finals but were denied in seven games by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.
Stephen A. Smith often fondly recalls the eighth-seeded New York Knicks that reached the 1999 NBA Finals. Ewing, a shell of his former self, was injured.
They lost in five games to the San Antonio Spurs behind the Twin Tower combo of David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Since then, it has been a frustrating two decades for Smith and Knicks fans.
Stephen A. Smith names Boston Celtics the favorites to win 2023-24 NBA championship
The sixth-seeded New York Knicks reached the playoffs last season and pulled an upset over the third-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers. However, they suffered the upset as well to the Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat.
For the 2023-24 season, Stephen A. Smith has already named his favorite to win the Eastern Conference. He didn’t even mention the Knicks, though (0:24):
“There’s really nothing to discuss here. I consider the Boston Celtics to be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference, even with Damian Lillard, my brother, the ultimate sniper, a closer.
"Make no mistake about it ladies and gentlemen, the Boston Celtics are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire NBA.”
Smith added that the Celtics, as constructed, will be the favorites to win against the defending champion Denver Nuggets and LeBron James’ LA Lakers. A bump on Boston’s road could come in the form of the Phoenix Suns, though.
Nevertheless, the longtime TV sports talk show host doesn’t see the Celtics losing big, if ever, to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal’s Suns.
Stephen A. Smith may not have to let go of his George Jefferson look. He might go totally bald waiting for the New York Knicks to win another championship.