Spike Lee cracks up Michael Jordan over Knicks’ title prospects - “Been over 50 years”
Movie director and New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee made Michael Jordan laugh when he asked Ahmad Rashad about his team's chances to win it all. During the Hall of Fame weekend, Lee directed the question at Rashad while the rest of the auditorium laughed.
He brought Jordan's name to the conversation which also made him laugh with his head down and clapped.
"You're very knowledgeable about basketball, right?" Lee said. "You learned a lot from my brother here in Brooklyn, Michael Jordan, right?"
"In my hand, I have Red Holzman's 1972 NBA championship ring from the New York Knicks. The last time we won it was the 1972-73 season. Are we going to win? It's been over 50 years. We got a squad this year. Leon Rose doing his thing, we got KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns], one of the best point guards in the league [Jalen Brunson], we got defense. What's gonna happen this year?"
Rashad composed himself before answering the question and he said that the Knicks can win it all this season.
"I think they bring that whole thing. I think this is the year," Rashad said before referring to an old commercial about Jordan sneakers. "You know why? Must be the shoes."
The Knicks haven't won a championship since 1973 despite going to the finals in 1994 and 1999. They lost to the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.
If they need reasons to dream this season, the Milwaukee Bucks won their second NBA championship in 2021, 50 years after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led them to the promised land. Before that, the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers won their first-ever titles, so a win this season wouldn't be a crazy thought for New Yorkers.
Knicks bolstered their ranks after a busy offseason
The New York Knicks went to work in the 2024 NBA offseason and added another former Villanova player, Mikal Bridges, from the Brooklyn Nets. Additionally, Jalen Brunson signed a contract extension, OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa re-signed while Landry Shamed and Cameron Payne joined as free agents.
The cherry on top was when they traded for Karl-Anthony Towns which confirmed that they're in win-now mode. Despite losing big pieces like Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Isiah Hartenstein, the Knicks appear to be ready to compete and challenge the Boston Celtics for the throne.