Spike Lee waited 53 years for the Knicks’ championship, and on Saturday night he was down on the floor at Frost Bank Center as the franchise celebrated its first title since 1973.
For 53 years, Spike Lee has been watching the Knicks chase a championship. On Saturday night, he didn’t just watch from the seats—he was on the floor at Frost Bank Center, hugging and high-fiving fellow high-profile Knicks fans and former players as the team received its NBA championship trophy.
The moment landed with the weight of New York basketball history: the Knicks’ first title since 1973.
Lee’s presence is hard to miss. He’s been a courtside fixture at Madison Square Garden for four decades and has become the most visible Knicks superfan in the world. His loyalty began in earnest in 1985, when he bought season tickets the day after the Knicks drafted Patrick Ewing. Long before the trophy, Lee traces his fandom to Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, a game he attended at 13.
He also has Knicks lore attached to his name. In 1994, his courtside sparring with Reggie Miller helped fuel a 25-point fourth quarter from the Pacers’ star, followed by the infamous choke gesture that came after.
The celebration wasn’t limited to arenas. Knicks fans turned New York City into their living room, with wild ways to catch the NBA Finals—from projections on bodegas to other buildings across the city.
Even as the league’s geography shifted—after the Nets came to Lee’s native borough, Brooklyn—he stayed locked in on the orange-and-blue. Decades of disappointment didn’t break the routine. Lee remained courtside through the long losing stretches, and then, finally, through the championship night.
Lee isn’t only known for basketball fandom. The acclaimed filmmaker behind “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X,” and “BlacKkKlansman,” he won an Academy Award for adapted screenplay. He later received an honorary Oscar in 2016. For all of his film career milestones, his Knicks devotion has remained a constant through four decades of games.
The Knicks last won a title in 1973. Now, after the wait—and after the city-wide noise that carried the finals into the streets—the celebration reached the stage, and Lee was right there as the trophy came to the front of the room.
Spike Lee Knicks championship NBA Finals Frost Bank Center Madison Square Garden Patrick Ewing Reggie Miller New York City fans Do the Right Thing Malcolm X BlacKkKlansman
So he waited 53 years… but did he even watch the games or just show up for the camera?
I saw the clip, he looked way too happy hugging a trophy lol. Knicks finally did it and of course Spike Lee is there like he owns the franchise.
Doesn’t make sense to me, Knicks won in 1973 so how is this the “first title” since then? Like maybe they just didn’t count the ABA or something? Either way, he’s been filming for 50 years so whatever.
Frost Bank Center?? thought it was always MSG. Also the article saying he started watching in the 70 NBA Finals when he was 13… how does anyone even remember that clearly? But hey, congrats to the Knicks, and Spike Lee probably just got emotional and went full superfan like he always does.