But the multipart doc will go deeper than just the 2026 NBA Finals run, Stiller said.
The confirmation from Stiller comes after Page Six reported last week that Stiller was indeed making a Knicks program for HBO.
Ben Stiller filming Jalen Brunson’s June 7, 2026 press conference at Madison Square Garden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“It’s kind of gonna be about all eras of the Knicks,” Stiller said on the show. “And this team, obviously, there’s a culmination here of something that has been going on for a long time. So, it’s super exciting. And it’s great to have all this access to your team, which is great. And we’re probably going to be shooting a little bit more during next season.”
He said the program, which does not have a set number of episodes yet, all came together recently, and it will be worked on over the next year. A release date is not yet clear. Stiller said that owner James Dolan gave the green light and access for the project.
Madison Square Garden is home to the newest NBA champions. Jason Szenes for NY Post
Stiller took to X to share the news on his personal account.
“Couldn’t be more excited to make this doc with @a24 and @hbo about the NY KNICKS!!!!!!” he wrote.
Stiller, a fixture on Celebrity Row at Madison Square Garden and courtside on the road, was seen filming the Knicks’ playoff run from his phone, and he shared some of the snippets to social media as New York won its first NBA title in 53 years.
Stiller added that the project still does not have a title, but at the very least, it is happening.
It appears that a return of LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers is likely this offseason, but according to reports from ESPN Senior Writer Marc J. Spears, it appears a former Los Angeles hero and teammate of James could be coming with him and reuniting.
Spears said on ESPN’s NBA Today that he’s heard reports that James will be reuniting with the Lakers and it appears likely that Kevin Love will be joining forces with him.
“I’m hearing that he is likely coming back,” Spears said. “… And also I’m hearing that one of his old teammates from Cleveland, Kevin Love, could likely be joining the Lakers too.”
"I'm hearing that [LeBron's] likely coming back [to the Lakers]. … Kevin Love could likely be joining the Lakers too."@MarcJSpears gives some insight on what could be next for LeBron pic.twitter.com/EV1Qwqiixf
LeBron James on vacation, drinking a glass of wine. Getty Images
Spears doubled down on his reporting that he could see the two reuniting due to the close friendship they have from when they were teammates in Cleveland from 2014 to 2018.
When James and Love played together, the two were part of a big three in Cleveland that featured Kyrie Irving.
The trio went to four NBA Finals together and brought the Cavaliers their first title in franchise history in 2016, when they infamously overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors.
Before Love was appearing in the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers and the Miami Heat [2023], he was a local hero in Los Angeles.
Born in Santa Monica and attending college at UCLA in 2008, Los Angeles has always been home for Love.
Kevin Love playing in an NBA game with the Utah Jazz. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Love played only one year with UCLA before he was selected with the fifth overall pick of the NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During his freshman year at UCLA, he was crowned the Pac-10 Player of the Year when he averaged 17.5 points, 10.6 rebounds per game, and had 23 double-doubles.
Love was joined by former MVP and 9-time All-Star, Russell Westbrook, who led the Bruins to their third straight Final Four of the NCAA March Madness tournament. The Bruins’ hopes for a National Title came to an end following a 78-63 loss to Memphis.
The Warriors may not know who will be available when they’re on the clock next week, but general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. made one thing clear Wednesday: Golden State believes it is in a strong position to add an impact player with the No. 11 overall pick.
Speaking during his annual pre-draft media availability, Dunleavy repeatedly praised the depth of the 2026 NBA Draft and expressed confidence that the Warriors can find a player capable of contributing immediately.
Mike Dunleavy says the Warriors expect to find a strong player at No. 11 and hints Golden State may keep its 2026 NBA draft pick. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
“I think we’ll get a really good player at 11,” Dunleavy said. “This is a really good draft to be in, especially at 11.”
Those comments are particularly notable given several prospects linked to Golden State in recent mock drafts, including Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
Yaxel Lendeborg #23 of the Michigan Wolverines knocks the ball out of bounds during the second half of a game against the UConn Huskies in the National Championship Getty Images
Lendeborg, 24, appears to check many of the boxes Dunleavy outlined Wednesday. The former Michigan star led the Wolverines to a national championship while averaging 14.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. A consensus All-American, he has been praised for his versatility, defensive toughness and ability to impact winning.
Dunleavy specifically pushed back against concerns surrounding older prospects, noting that NIL and the transfer portal have fundamentally changed how teams evaluate draft age.
“We’re just in a different age where there’s more older guys that have stayed in the draft,” Dunleavy said. “Teams are much more open to drafting older players.”
That could benefit prospects like Lendeborg, who spent time at Arizona Western and UAB before transferring to Michigan. Despite being one of the oldest lottery candidates, some scouts view him as a late bloomer after he didn’t begin playing organized basketball until age 15.
Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) shoots a free throw in the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers during an Elite Eight IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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That said, Dunleavy pointed toward the need to get younger with team leaders Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all over the age of 35. Curry and Butler both missed over half the season due to injury
“Yeah, I mean, we obviously would prefer to get younger.” he said.
Dunleavy also emphasized that the Warriors are looking beyond positional fit.
“Frankly, we need everything,” he said. “We’ll take whoever we feel is the best player.”
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) with forward Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr against the Phoenix Suns IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That philosophy aligns with a prospect such as Lendeborg, whose combination of rebounding, passing and defensive versatility. Evan Webeck of the California Post compared him to NBA veteran OG Anunoby.
The Warriors also hold the No. 54 pick and have found success drafting late-round contributors in recent years. But the focus remains on No. 11, the franchise’s highest draft selection since Jonathan Kuminga was taken seventh overall in 2021.
While Dunleavy reiterated that “everything is on the table” regarding trades, his comments strongly suggested Golden State expects to leave draft night with at least one new young piece.
“I feel pretty confident that we will draft a player,” Dunleavy said.
And if the Warriors are serious about finding someone who can help immediately while still fitting their long-term plans, prospects like Lendeborg may be exactly what they’re looking for.
After the Knicks won their first championship in 53 years, immediately came talk of a potential repeat.
Bringing back such a deep and capable team to “run it back” certainly won’t be easy.
In an appearance on WFAN’s “The Carton Show” on Wednesday, Knicks owner James Dolan made one promise on how he will go about building his team going forward.
Owner James Dolan looks on during the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ NBA title-clinching Game 5 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio. Getty Images
“There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron,” Dolan said. “I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”
The second apron is around $222 million, and the Knicks have some things to think about in terms of who might come back if they want to avoid the harsh roster-building penalties that come with breaking the threshold.
Eight players are under contract for next season, but there are three free agents — Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Mohamed Diawara — that they must make decisions on if they want to keep the same team next season.
Alongside the players under contract, the Knicks have the 24th pick in the NBA draft, and Jose Alvarado has a $4.5 million player option.
Mitchell Robinson (left) and Jalen Brunson celebrate after winning the NBA Finals. NBAE via Getty Images
Should the team have 10 guys on the books, and if they want to bring all three of their free agents back, it will be very difficult for them to remain under the second apron.
If Dolan is as committed as he sounds to remaining under the second apron, he and team president Leon Rose might struggle to fit all of his present players into the picture.
One of the most important parts of this year’s squad was the bench, and keeping it the same in hopes of winning a second consecutive Larry O’Brien Trophy will cost the Knicks.
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After a 53-year drought, the New York Knicks turned the city blue and orange — bringing home the NBA Championship Trophy for the first time since 1973.
As the hometown paper of New York, we’re celebrating the newly crowned kings of the city by changing our name, in print and across digital — for one day only — to the Knick York Post.
In our 52-page championship parade day special we look back at how the Knicks made it to this special moment, interview team owner James Dolan, dissect the biggest 4 seconds in the last 53 years of Knicks basketball — and so much more.
Chock full of in-depth reporting, exclusive columns and NBA nostalgia, today’s Knick York Post will be one for the history books.
You’ll want an edition of the paper whether or not you’re one of the many thousands expected at the parade — which kicks off at 10 a.m. from Battery Park, and ends about a mile north at City Hall, where players will be awarded keys to the city.
Can’t make it to your local bodega in time to grab a copy? Don’t fret, we have it, and more, for all the fellow Knicks fanatics.
“Knick York Post” Parade Day limited edition paper
A true piece of New York history, the June 18 cover reads “Knick York Post” in our unmistakable, bold font, with blue and orange lettering honoring the championship winning team.
With this full-edition print issue, you get the full-weight newspaper in its entirety, so you won’t miss out on the player interviews and exclusive photos throughout the inside.
A piece of Knicks and New York Post history you’ll never want to forget, this paper is the perfect time capsule of true New York spirit.
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Copies of the issue, framed covers, tees and more
Are you really feeling the Knicks fever? We had a feeling. So we’re offering a beautiful 26.25-inch by 16.25-inch double-image frame featuring the full front and back covers, as well as a wood or acrylic plaque featuring our cover in all its “Knick York” glory.
Grab the complete original copy of the Knick York Post’s Parade Day paper while supplies last, because with an edition this iconic, there’s no doubt they’re going to go fast.
If you’re looking to wear your pride outside, grab our limited-edition, made-to-order “Knick York Post” T-shirt in our iconic “New York Post” font.
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The Knicks celebrate their title.Photograph: Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
New York Knicks owner James Dolan says his team will become the first NBA champions to visit Donald Trump at the White House.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said during an appearance on WFAN New York on Wednesday. “We still have to figure out the details … but yes, of course. Look, I invited the president to come down for [last week’s Game 3 of the NBA finals]. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
The visit may not go down well with large sections of the Knicks fanbase. The president was greeted with boos and jeers when he appeared on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden at the start of Game 3. The reception was unsurprising: NBA fans skew liberal and the Knicks play in a city that firmly backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
It is also questionable how many of the Knicks players will attend. Forward Josh Hart celebrated Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election by calling Trump a “dumbass” on social media. Other players may be more supportive: center Mitchell Robinson is a registered Republican and called Trump’s visit to MSG “cool, I guess”.
Last season’s NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, did not visit the White House due to a “timing issue”.
Title-winning teams in major US sports have traditionally received invitations from the president to visit the White House after their victories. Such visits have become politically fraught during Trump’s two terms in power.
The last NBA champions to visit the White House were the Boston Celtics in 2024, during Biden’s presidency.
The Golden State Warriors chose not to visit Trump’s White House after their 2017 title – he later said he had withdrawn their invitation – and they were not invited after their 2018 championship.The Warriors had visited while Barack Obama was in office, and made the trip under Biden’s administration after their 2022 title.
The 2019 champion Toronto Raptors did not visit while Trump was in office, with players ruling out a trip before an invitation had been offered, and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers skipped their visit to Biden’s White House because of pandemic health and safety protocols.
President Donald Trump came to see the Knicks at Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals.
Now, the champs are returning the favor.
Knicks owner James Dolan confirmed Wednesday during an interview on WFAN that the team will go to the White House to be feted by the president.
The Knicks celebrate their Game 5 win over the Spurs to clinch the NBA title. Charles Wenzelberg / NY PostTrump at NBA Finals Game 3. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
It will mark the first time an NBA champion is visiting the White House in either of Trump’s two terms.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said when asked about a potential visit to the nation’s capital. “We still have to figure out the details, et cetera, but yes, of course. Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
Rumors were floating online that the Knicks had declined a formal visit, but a White House official told Vanity Fair earlier Wednesday that the speculation was far from the truth.
“This is fake news,” the official told the outlet. “The White House congratulates the Knicks on their championship win and looks forward to discussing a visit in the near future.”
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. KENNY HOLSTON/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock
Trump, a New York native and Knicks fan, became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game when he came to New York for Game 3. He sat in a suite with his granddaughter, Kai, and Dolan. He was shown on the video board during the national anthem.
After the Knicks rallied to win Game 5 in San Antonio, securing their first NBA championship in 53 years, Trump extolled their efforts in a post on social media.
“Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “What incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four — maybe the greatest in the history of basketball.
“Also tonight, a superstar was born. His name is Jalen Brunson, and there are others, including Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and great patriot Mitchell Robinson!”
The Celtics were the last team to visit the White House in 2024 when Joe Biden was still commander in chief.
Turnover in professional sports is common, especially when it's a salary cap sport.
But after the Knicks' generational run culminated with their first NBA Championship in 53 years, is it possible that notable names won't be returning next season?
Well, Knicks owner James Dolan was a guest on WFAN's Carton Show on Wednesday and was asked what the chances are that some players won't be returning, and Dolan was honest.
"If we could bring back the whole team, exactly as is, why wouldn’t you?" he said. "I don’t know if we’ll be able to...
We’re willing to stretch, but there's certain things in the NBA that you'd have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron."
The second apron in the NBA is, essentially, a cap that penalizes teams that overspend.
Dolan points out that most of their team is under contract, a few guys aren't, but he'll leave the roster construction to team president Leon Rose and he's willing to spend big, just not go into that second apron.
"I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check that goes into the second apron," Dolan said.
"There's certain things in the NBA that you'd have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron. I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check that goes into the second apron."
So, what does that mean for the Knicks? It's hard to say, but Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film Skool put it succinctly on social media.
The second apron is set at $222 million with the five starters (Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns), Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado making $200 million. To fill a 14-player roster, the Knicks will have to make some hard decisions to stay under the second apron.
The biggest question mark is Mitchell Robinson. The longest-tenured Knick is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will likely get a big payday on the open market. He made nearly $13 million this past season. The big man could be the first casualty of the Knicks' offseason.
Alvarado does have a player option that would pay him $4.5 million next season. If he doesn't exercise it and hits the market, that would free up space, but the assumption is that the guard will stay with the Knicks.
Other notable unrestricted free agents to be are Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Sochan.
Ariel Hukport and Mohamed Diawara are restricted free agents.
The New York Knicks will visit the White House to celebrate their NBA championship, an administration official confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s hometown team will be the first NBA champions to visit the White House during either of his terms in office.
Knicks owner James Dolan first shared the news in an interview with WFAN sports radio Wednesday.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said. “We still have to figure out the details, etc., but yes, of course.”
A White House official told NBC News on Wednesday that administration officials have “been in touch with the Knicks and look forward to hosting the team at a date to be determined in the near future.”
Dolan on Wednesday touted his relationship with Trump, whom he invited to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 8.
“Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House,” Dolan said.
Trump was booed at the game, the only one the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs during the five-game series.
He watched the game from Dolan’s box, where he was joined by several administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Trump celebrated the Knicks’ championship early Sunday on Truth Social, congratulating Dolan and top players Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson.
“What a year it has been but, even more so, what incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four — Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball,” he wrote.
The Knicks are expected to visit the White House after NBA championship-winning teams skipped the meeting for years, starting with the Golden State Warriors in 2017.
Star player Stephen Curry said in September 2017 that he was not interested in visiting Trump’s White House, sparking a furious social media post from Trump.
“Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” Trump wrote on X in September 2017.
The Warriors did not visit the White House the next year after they won the championship again. The Toronto Raptors did not attend the White House after their 2019 win, either.
In 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship win was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the team did not visit the White House. However, Trump told reporters in 2018 he would not invite Lakers player LeBron James to the White House after James stood behind Curry’s criticisms.
When Trump returned to office last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder said they would not visit the White House after their championship win because of “timing” issues.
Three teams visited during President Joe Biden’s term — the Milwaukee Bucks, the Warriors and the Boston Celtics in 2021, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The New York Knicks will visit the White House to celebrate their NBA championship, an administration official confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s hometown team will be the first NBA champions to visit the White House during either of his terms in office.
Knicks owner James Dolan first shared the news in an interview with WFAN sports radio Wednesday.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said. “We still have to figure out the details, etc., but yes, of course.”
A White House official told NBC News on Wednesday that administration officials have “been in touch with the Knicks and look forward to hosting the team at a date to be determined in the near future.”
Dolan on Wednesday touted his relationship with Trump, whom he invited to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 8.
“Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House,” Dolan said.
Trump was booed at the game, the only one the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs during the five-game series.
He watched the game from Dolan’s box, where he was joined by several administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Trump celebrated the Knicks’ championship early Sunday on Truth Social, congratulating Dolan and top players Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson.
“What a year it has been but, even more so, what incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four — Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball,” he wrote.
The Knicks are expected to visit the White House after NBA championship-winning teams skipped the meeting for years, starting with the Golden State Warriors in 2017.
Star player Stephen Curry said in September 2017 that he was not interested in visiting Trump’s White House, sparking a furious social media post from Trump.
“Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” Trump wrote on X in September 2017.
The Warriors did not visit the White House the next year after they won the championship again. The Toronto Raptors did not attend the White House after their 2019 win, either.
In 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship win was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the team did not visit the White House. However, Trump told reporters in 2018 he would not invite Lakers player LeBron James to the White House after James stood behind Curry’s criticisms.
When Trump returned to office last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder said they would not visit the White House after their championship win because of “timing” issues.
Three teams visited during President Joe Biden’s term — the Milwaukee Bucks, the Warriors and the Boston Celtics in 2021, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 10: JR Smith and Kevin Love smile after the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks during Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Several players from the 2016 championship Cleveland Cavaliers, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of that achievement on the golf course. J.R. Smith is among the group that went across the pond. However, according to him, he hasn’t been invited back by the organization he helped bring a championship to.
In a recent episode of The Pivot Podcast, Smith talked about the importance of teams taking care of their former players. He pointed to the New York Knicks as the gold standard of doing this. And in the process, he singled out the Cavs for not being up to snuff in this department.
“I won a whole chip in Cleveland, they haven’t invited me back once, and it’s been 10 years,” Smith said. “This is our 10-year anniversary. They haven’t invited me back once.”
The official Cavs account on X replied to this with a video of Smith being at a game during the 2022-23 season and saying that he “ALWAYS has a home here.”
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.
Whether or not Smith was invited back for that appearance is unknown. What we can say is that he hasn’t been among the former players who’ve been asked to pull the sword out during player introductions before recent playoff games. Anderson Varejao, Booby Gibson, and Matthew Dellavedova all did so during the Cavs’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Smith didn’t.
It’s worth pointing out that Smith and the Cavs’ relationship didn’t end well. He was a member of the 2018-19 team, the first one that didn’t feature LeBron James after four-straight trips to the NBA Finals. The Cavs struggled at the start of the season, fired head coach Ty Lue, and traded away many of their veteran players before the deadline.
Smith wasn’t among the players dealt, but he wasn’t a part of the team after late November. He and the Cavs agreed to part ways after he played in only 11 games that year. The Cavs weren’t able to find a new home for him with a trade, and ended up waiving him the following summer. Smith played part of one more season as he appeared in six games for the bubble championship Los Angeles Lakers.
We don’t know whether or not the exit still lingers over that relationship. What we do know is that Smith was an indispensable part of the 2016 championship team and played a large role in a group that made four consecutive Finals. He should be celebrated for his role in bringing a championship to Cleveland for decades to come. Hopefully, we see that come to fruition in the coming years.
Knicks owner Jim Dolan being interviewed by Ernie Johnson Jr., during the trophy ceremony after the Knicks defeated the Spurs to win the NBA Championship.
The final seven seconds may have been the hardest of all for James Dolan. There were all those missed free throws, Spurs and Knicks both. There was the surreal transfer, in real time, of Frost Bank Center converting from maybe 60-40 between the fans to 100 percent Knicks, as the locals departed and the invaders crawled lower and lower into the better seats.
There was one more missed free throw, of course.
“The game was still in doubt,” Dolan said, “right to the last seven seconds.”
And even as those last seven seconds played out, even as the clock slow-walked to 0:00 with the Knicks ahead 94-90, even with a world championship occurring in front of his eyes, in living color, Dolan still didn’t believe what he was seeing. Couldn’t believe.
Same as millions of his fellow Knicks fans.
“It was like when you’re in your car on a snowy day,” Dolan said. “When you start skidding down the road and you know you’re going to hit something, but there’s no impact yet, you can’t get out of the way, you can’t move the wheels and you’re just waiting for impact. That’s what it felt like. It was like an out-of-body experience.”
And then it hit. As it surely hit you.
“Oh, my God, this has actually happened!”
It happened, all right, and Thursday, Dolan and his family will be right in the middle of the Knicks parade, in the middle of the Canyon of Heroes. He will be Grandfather of the Year for his six grandchildren, all of whom will be in the procession.
“For a day, anyway,” he said, laughing.
For much longer than that, Dolan will enjoy what the old Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy used to say about baseball, now true about hoops: It’s a game of redeeming features. The same applies to high-profile owners who’ve absorbed their share of Kniocbarbs and slings and arrows through the years (full disclosure: many of them lobbed by your humble narrator).
But as Dolan spoke to The Post from his office on a half-hour Zoom call Wednesday afternoon, he really did seem transformed. So many images of him across the last quarter century have captured a man who looked less than pleased in the moment. Not now.
Now he looked like the owner of an NBA champion.
“How do you know?” Dolan asked, the smile so deep it couldn’t be chiseled off with sculptor’s tools. “Have you ever seen one before?”
We have now. It recalled a moment 14 years ago, after another conversation with Dolan in another Knicks era, one that was about to go wickedly sideways. He was beginning to hear anger oaths aimed at him from fans every time he stepped into the Garden, and he suggested no other owner had ever faced similar venom from his own fans.
“All due respect,” I told him. “Steinbrenner.”
“Steinbrenner? When he died it was like they were burying a king!”
Comedian Ben Stiller and New York Knicks owner James Dolan sit courtside during Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
By the end, yes. But Steinbrenner had also spent decades listening to his own fans boo him mercilessly, occasionally tossing a few vulgar chants into the mix. Then, at the end, the Yankees started winning and never stopped, although the booing did.
“Maybe they’ll love me when I’m dead!” Dolan roared.
Funny line. But the truth is: Dolan has followed the Steinbrenner blueprint to the letter, learning at age 71 the most basic rule in sports: Winning is the greatest of all deodorants for owners — for years of losing, and petty feuds, and all manner of disputes, for everything. People are happy to move on to Woody Johnson or Steve Cohen or Steve Bob Tisch. They hardly ever talk about you at all when times are good.
“Just the way I like it,” he said.
Besides: nobody ever really had to remind Dolan of the mistakes he’s made across his 27 years in that office. He was as aware of them as anyone. Face it: As easily as you can summon the names of forgotten Knicks like Kelvin Cato and Cleanthony Early and Noah Vonleh, even you spent time — had to — away from the team. When you own the team, you own the bad hires, bad drafts, bad trades. And you die a little with every loss.
“Owning the Knicks,” he said, “is a learning experience.”
He spent years looking for the right guy. And one day, he had him. One day he hired Leon Rose. Seven years later, here we are.
“My ideal operation, like a lot of my other businesses, it’s the same thing: Give me a plan, let’s put together a plan, let’s follow the plan, and I’ll support the plan,” he said. “It’s the same thing with the hockey team. And if you go off plan, come back to me and we’ll talk about it. Once Leon came, he told me in advance what he was going to do and I’d always ask, what can I do to help you? You plan it. I’ll fund it.”
Many of Rose’s deals, he simply nodded. Others, he had to be convinced — “Mostly,” he said, “I was always somewhere in the middle.” But he always landed on the side of trusting a GM who’d earned it unconditionally. It has made all the difference for the Knicks. And for Dolan.
“Did I make mistakes? Of course I did,” he said. “Did I trust people that maybe I shouldn’t have trusted? You go into it as a new owner and if you’re dumb enough, you think you actually know what you’re doing. Believe me, you don’t. And all along, you have everybody whispering in your ear: Do this, do that. You have you guys, the press, telling us where we’re going wrong at every step. And, you can start to feel like a pinball. But …”
He paused.
“The thing is, is to learn. Right? That might be the thing I feel best about is, I felt, I feel, that now after 25 freaking years of doing this, I might actually have learned something.”
Much of the time Rose was building the foundation of what the Knicks became, Dolan was hip deep in the finishing touches on the Sphere, the Las Vegas playpen that has become the must-see stop in the desert. But he and Rose still talked regularly. And a year ago, they made a difficult decision that was divisive in its aggressiveness. They fired Tom Thibodeau.
“We loved Thibs, we really did, I held him in high regard,” Dolan said. “It would not surprise me at all, by the way, if Thibs comes back and coaches a championship team because I think you could still win that way.”
Spike Lee greets New York Knicks owner James Dolan on the floor against Game 4 against the Cavaliers. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Sometimes you can see the “but” coming a mile away.
“Thibs was kind of old style. Right? Like Red Holzman, right, everything comes through me, and I’ll guide us through. He’s very good at that, but that sort of obviated the need for all these other people. Mike Brown had a different view. He had a different approach. And you look at our team, in the Finals. Everyone was healthy.
There is little argument there. One of the little-discussed but essential parts of last Saturday was this: In Game 101 of the season, the Knicks had no injury report. This is a reality of which Dolan takes admitted pride since his son, Quentin, oversees the team’s health and wellness programs.
And also, indisputably, something Brown discussed at length in his interview last summer, and put into practice this season.
“Everybody was in top form for the Finals,” he said. “And that doesn’t happen overnight. That was very carefully orchestrated and monitored every week. And it really paid off. I mean, if you put it together, the year before, we went into the playoffs, we had a lot of injuries. The somewhat old style of relating to the players, and so on. I mean, I think, actually, that was a huge difference.”
It’s impossible to argue. As is the truth Dolan talked about that day 13 years ago: Winning makes owners bulletproof. If we needed further testimony, there was the video the other day of Dolan addressing his team just before the playoffs. Surely that would have been buried if the Knicks had lost to the Hawks. But they didn’t.
“I certainly didn’t want to screw anything up for them,” he said. “I didn’t want to throw them off kilter or to distract them. It was a bit of a risk, having the talk, but I thought it was worth it. You don’t come this close that often. Start now. Start right now. And so you saw what came out.”
In that moment — also when he appeared on stage Saturday night postgame, resplendent in a bright orange blazer, pumped his fist and said, “Sorry it took so long!” — an odd thing happened. James L. Dolan sounded like you, and every Knicks fan you know. When fans boo owners, as they’ve booed Dolan before, the boo-to-English translation is always this: “You don’t care as much as we care!”
The rest of his days, that’s one sling and one arrow James Dolan will never have to hear again.
As the Knicks prepare to celebrate their first NBA title in 53 years, The Post’s writers and columnists provide insight into the indelible moments they’ll remember forever from this championship season and legacy this team will leave after an incredible run.
Stefan Bondy
The final buzzer went off for Game 5 and my mind went to two places: Jalen Brunson and my sneakers.
Neither was for sentimental reasons. The sneakers are clean and white, a proud accomplishment I’ve been able to maintain, shockingly, throughout an entire season in airports, snowy slush in Toronto and the sticky floors of every NBA arena.
A league official warned prior to tipoff that the sneakers would certainly be doused by champagne if the Knicks win, and maybe stained with cigar ash or beer or whatever else tends to spray in the locker room celebrations.
I’m not accustomed to these things covering the Knicks for 11 years. Remember — they didn’t celebrate the NBA Cup very enthusiastically.
“Oh yeah,” the NBA PR person said. “RIP to those sneakers.”
Brunson was on my mind for a practical reason. He was the subject of my column that required filing ASAP. And through the typing, it crossed my consciousness — too briefly to put in the story — that I couldn’t recall Brunson’s first game with the Knicks.
When a player of his magnitude joins a team, the first appearance is usually a big deal. We all remember Carmelo Anthony’s “Coming Home” game. Since I was there, the Knicks debuts of Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose are also logged in my memory. They were certainly the subjects of my story those nights.
But Brunson? The outlook of his impact seemed so mediocre that there’s no recollection. As it turned out, Brunson debuted on Oct. 19, 2022, in Memphis. It was a thrilling overtime loss for the Knicks and the hero — the subject of my main story — was … Cam Reddish.
Jalen Brunson #11 drives to the basket against Ja Morant #12 in his Knicks debut in 2022. Getty Images
Brunson had 15 points — fewer than Reddish, Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein. Of the 10 Knicks to play that night, only Brunson and Mitchell Robinson are still on the team.
And for the point guard, it’s been a ride through the impossible, through the humble beginning in Memphis and on to the championship podium. My sneakers? They also shocked the world (my version of it, at least), leaving San Antonio still crispy white.
Zach Braziller
It really didn’t hit me for several minutes after the final horn, when the media was allowed onto the floor. The Knicks chants were deafening, fans of the orange and blue taking over Frost Bank Center.
It was particularly gratifying for them, because of that trip to the Finals in 1999, against these same Spurs; Ewing couldn’t play, due to a torn left Achilles tendon in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Houston did all he could, but it wasn’t nearly enough against Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Co.
This championship, the franchise’s first in 53 years, holds great meaning to so many. To fans. To former players. To everyone who has followed this team.
Jeremy Sochan #20 of the Knicks and Patrick Ewing high five after winning the NBA Finals. NBAE via Getty Images
“It means everything to the city,” Ewing said.
Growing up in the city in the 1990s myself, the Knicks owned the sports landscape every spring. Baseball season didn’t really begin until the Knicks’ season was complete. There isn’t a team that unifies everyone quite like the Knicks. We’ve seen that this spring, Knicks fans taking over road arenas in each round. There is a different buzz when the Knicks are this good, when they play this deep into the spring.
I thought: I’ve been doing this job a long, long time. I’d had the privilege of writing the column nine times after one of the teams we cover has won a championship, either here at The Post or elsewhere at papers in Newark and Middletown, N.Y.
Each one of those columns — five for the Yankees, two for the Giants, one each for the Devils and Rangers — I keep in a safe place, preserved and protected. Maybe someday I’ll make a collage out of them for a wall in my office. Maybe not. But I sleep better knowing I have them safely tucked away.
One thing, though.
Growing up, my father always insisted: “We root for New York in this house.” So while peer pressure later on insisted I needed to declare one or the other in every sport — and I picked the Mets, Jets, Knicks and Islanders — I never rooted against the other teams. And it was a joy to chronicle their titles.
But they weren’t “my” teams.
It’s here I should mention: I genuinely haven’t lost an ounce of sleep over any team since 1993 or so, with the notable exception of the St. Bonaventure basketball team. Whatever devotions I had previously have been channeled into the Bonnies, exclusively, for almost 35 years. Generally I root for me: good stories, early start times, no overtime.
But a few years ago it occurred to me: You know, at some point, I’d really like to write at least one column on the day after one of the teams I grew up rooting for won a title. And when the final seconds bled off the clock, it occurred to me: now I would.
I, like most New Yorkers, am too young to have seen the Knicks’ first two championships.
I spent decades looking at names — Frazier, Barnett, Monroe, Reed, DeBusschere, Bradley — in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, described as less than gods but more than men, representatives of the way the game should be played.
Finally, the torch has passed to another Knicks team guided by selflessness, to a group that was constantly reminded about a 53-year drought and saw it as an opportunity, rather than a burden.
The title celebration was surreal — thousands of Knicks fans taking over San Antonio, players passing around bottles of booze like frat brothers, lining up to take pictures with the Larry O’Brien Trophy — but Game 4 remains at the forefront.
It was the one moment of doubt, when unimaginable joy looked set to be replaced by familiar pain. The Garden was eerily silent — en route to a 29-point deficit — overshadowing six weeks of a dominant, dream-like run. Somehow, that night ended with the Garden’s all-time apex, capped by OG Anunoby’s mind-melting, heart-swelling, series-saving tip-in.
OG Anunoby’s makes an iconic game-winning tip-in during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
In the bowels of the building where he first became a champion, Bill Bradley, 82, walked down the hall, smiling, shaking his head in disbelief, speaking to no one in particular — “Incredible” — and for everyone who bleeds orange and blue.
He knew they would be making room in the rafters, that the moment would live longer than those who witnessed it, becoming iconic to the unborn, who one day will look up to the pinwheel ceiling and long to have seen those legends — Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, Hart, Bridges — representatives of the way the game should be played.
Jared Schwartz
I was born in 1999. I was only a few months old when the Knicks lost in the Finals that year. By the time I started making tangible memories, the electric ’90s were well in the past and the Knicks had already established themselves as a perennial laughingstock.
Like so many kids my age, all I had was stories from those older than me. For me, it was my father and grandfather. All I heard was: “It wasn’t always like this,” or “You don’t get how special it is when they’re good.” To me, it felt as close as the stuff I learned in my history textbook in school – it was then, not now.
I am lucky to also have a father in the industry who covered the first half of that magical ’90s era. Back then, they let the reporters sit courtside. He spoke of smelling the burning rubber of their sneakers on the court.
Josh Hart hugs New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (front) after the Knicks win the NBA Championship. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
He told stories of waiting around Michael Jordan’s locker – after he repeatedly broke the Knicks’ hearts – and meticulously screwing in his earrings. He reminisced about Patrick Ewing telling everyone to “watch the toes” as they crowded around him. He had endless tales about Pat Riley.
Meanwhile, I was building my fandom around guys like Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and Danilo Gallinari. The way longtime MSG PA announcer Mike Walczewski used to yell “Threeeee point goalllll, Daniloooooo Galllllinarrrrrriiii” made him one of my first favorites.
What did I think of when the Knicks won the championship? I thought of Carmelo Anthony hitting those two 3-pointers — at the end of regulation and overtime — against the Bulls on Easter in 2012.
For most of my life, that was the most electric moment I could think of surrounding the Knicks. When I went to college at Wisconsin, and tried explaining to non-New Yorkers what MSG was like, that was the highlight I’d show them. They’d, of course, retort that it was a regular-season game.
“As a matter of fact, thank you for asking me that, we just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said during the appearance. “We still have to figure out the details, et cetera, but yes, of course. Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
The acceptance may prompt polarizing reactions from some of New York’s players who may be on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Forward Josh Hart, for example, posted a social media message after Joe Biden’s victory in November 2020 in which he used a derogatory term to describe Trump.
The previous five NBA champions crowned during a Trump administration each declined to visit the White House, starting in 2017, when the Warriors won their first of two consecutive titles during a Trump term.
“Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team,” Trump wrote in September 2017. “Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!”
LeBron James even became involved, firing off a post of his own in which he called Trump a “bum” and added that “going to the White House was a great honor until you showed up!”
The Warriors declined to visit after their 2018 title, and the Toronto Raptors opted in 2019 not to visit either the White House or Parliament Hill in Ottawa over scheduling conflicts.
The Lakers won in 2020 and also declined, though the COVID-19 pandemic would’ve complicated any potential White House visit.
Three of the following four NBA champions, the Bucks, Warriors and Celtics, each visited the White House, but that was under the Biden presidency.
The Nuggets had scheduled a visit following their 2023 title, but scheduling conflicts with the White House led to a postponement. The rescheduled date, however, fell the day before what would be a crucial game against the Timberwolves, so the Nuggets chose to forgo the event.
Then, after Trump won back the presidency after the 2024 general election, the Thunder won the 2025 NBA Finals. They, too, declined a visit, though Oklahoma City cited scheduling conflicts.
“We have been in touch with the White House, and we are appreciative and grateful for the communication we have had, but the timing just didn't work out,” the team said in a statement.
Dolan has long been a supporter and donor of Trump and sat alongside the president in his suite June 8 during New York’s 115-111 loss against the Spurs in Game 3, the team’s only defeat during the series.
“Well, I’ve been a Knick fan for a long time, and I’m also a Jim Dolan fan,” Trump said June 4. “He’s a nice guy, OK? He spent a long time wanting to win, and he’s a competitive guy. He’s got a team that’s amazing.”
Two of the Knicks' biggest stars were in the Bronx Wednesday night to throw out the first pitch before the Yankees' game against the White Sox.
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart toss out first pitches at Yankee Stadium after securing the New York Knicks' first NBA championship in 53 years 😤 pic.twitter.com/V7eFvdriys
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Darryn Peterson shoots the ball during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 12, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Tamez/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Well, the 2026 NBA Draft is now less than one week away. And one of the Washington Wizards’ recent stars gave his endorsement on who he would like to see picked No. 1 overall.
John Wall was recently asked who he would like to see drafted No. 1. He endorsed former Kansas guard Darryn Peterson t No. 1.
John Wall wants the Wizards to take Darryn Peterson with the No. 1 pick 👀
It goes a bit further than that than Wall saying that Peterson should go No. 1 and former Brigham Young star AJ Dybantsa going No. 2 to the Utah Jazz.
Peterson is going “all in” on the Wizards himself. He reportedly visited the Wizards recently for extended workouts and decided not to visit the Jazz for the same thing. It’s a high risk high reward move for sure.
@BenStiller reveals his upcoming Knicks NBA Championship documentary! pic.twitter.com/nJ8QJBGCna
