New York Knicks, commonly referred to as The Knicks or simply Knicks, is one of the most iconic and successful basketball teams in the world. Founded in 1946 as the New York Knickerbockers, they are one of the oldest teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team is based in Manhattan, New York City, and plays its home matches at the famous Madison Square Garden, which has a seating capacity of over 19,000.
The Knicks have a rich history, boasting two NBA Championships, eight Conference Titles, and five Division Titles. The team enjoyed its most successful era under legendary coach Red Holzman, who led the Knicks to both of their NBA Championship victories in 1970 and 1973.
Known for its dynamic style of play, the team has nurtured some of basketball’s greatest talents, including Willis Reed, Walt 'Clyde' Frazier, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Oakley. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, the New York Knicks remains one of the world’s most valuable basketball teams, with a global fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence American and world basketball.
New York Knicks is one of the most popular basketball teams in the world, with one of the highest average home attendances in the NBA. The team states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the New York Knicks Fan Club (NYKFC), in at least 24 countries. The team takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that New York Knicks has 75 million fans worldwide. The team has the third highest social media following in the world among sports teams (after Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat), with over 82 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that New York Knicks had the loudest fans in the NBA.
New York Knicks was formed in 1946 as one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The team initially played games against other departments and companies, but on November 1, 1946, they competed in their first recorded match, wearing the team's traditional colors—orange, blue and white, they won their first game against the Toronto Huskies by 68-66.
In 1967, the Knicks appointed Red Holzman as their head coach, who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers, and training sessions. Holzman led the team to NBA Championship wins in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks also made the NBA Finals in 1972 and 1994, but lost on both occasions.
On 18 March 2014, Phil Jackson was named as the president of the New York Knicks. He retired as the most decorated coach in basketball history. The club announced the next day that Golden State Warrior assistant coach Steve Kerr would replace him from 1 July, having signed a five-year contract. Derek Fisher took over as interim player-coach a few months later, on 10 June 2014, when Kerr was signed by the Golden State Warriors after a poor season in which the team failed to defend their Atlantic Division title and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2009–10.
Originally funded by the Knickerbocker Knitting Company, the team was purchased by Ned Irish, a promoter, in 1946. In 1959, Irish, along with Carl Braun, Ernie Vandeweghe, and Walter Dukes, bought the team for $1,000,000. The Knicks became a publicly traded entity in 1946, with shares sold to local supporters. In 1991, majority ownership passed to Cablevision who invested significantly to save the club from financial distress, including hiring future manager Pat Riley.
After the death of Charles Dolan, the founder of Cablevision, in 1995, the club faced financial difficulties yet again but was saved by his son, James Dolan who assumed control of the club after an investment of a substantial amount. James Dolan promoted his brother, Patrick, to the board in 1999, but Patrick stepped down three years later; the Dolan family retained ownership of the club through James Dolan, with the position of chairman passing to former player Willis Reed.
Promoted to the board a few days after the 2007 NBA betting scandal, Donnie Walsh, a friend of Isiah Thomas, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately $40,000,000, he accumulated a significant shareholding and took control in April 2008. When the Dolan family decided to sell their shares in 2010, they were bought by a group of investors, who sold a percentage of their shares to Steve Mills in 2013; Steve Mills went on to become the president of the club upon his appointment in 2017. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch attempted to buy the club in 2014, but did not meet Dolan's asking price. In 2017, chairman James Dolan attempted to sell the club to Joseph Tsai for $1 billion, but the sale fell through and Tsai joined the board of directors instead.
The NY Knicks are one of the most recognized clubs in the NBA. The club's first trophy was the NBA Championship, which they won in 1970 and 1973. Since then, they have gone on to appear in the NBA playoffs multiple times, reaching the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999. The Knicks' success has often seen them in the spotlight, with numerous appearances in the NBA All-Star Game.
Domestic
Individual Awards
New York Knicks - Wikipedia: Detailed information about the history, achievements, and notable figures of the New York Knicks basketball team. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Knicks
New York Knicks - Official Site: The official website of the New York Knicks, providing the latest news, updates, and information about the team. https://www.nba.com/knicks/
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