James Dolan continues to chip away at all the goodwill he earned by pulling the final strings necessary to make the New York Knicks world champions for the first time in 53 years.
The embattled owner’s latest botch came last week during and immediately after his team’s home opener against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden, which was headlined by a pregame ceremony in which the players of last year’s title-winning squad received their rings and the raising of the championship banner.
Team president Leon Rose showed off the breathtaking piece of jewelry: A 22-carat showstopper with 800 diamonds and sapphires, featuring a screw-top that reveals the facade of Madison Square Garden and a depiction of the court. The players received theirs, but the assistant coaches never opened their boxes because there were no rings inside. It is uncertain if even head coach Mike Brown got his.
It didn’t stop there. Initial reports revealed that many longtime MSG employees would not receive rings and that, in September, they received emails from the team telling them that they would be getting one.
“[Employee name], this one is on the house. MSG is issuing a complimentary employee championship ring. The same jeweler, the same craftsmanship, personalized with your name. No cost to you.”
The employees were then allowed to choose from two designs. But when they clicked on the one they wanted, they discovered they were part of a phishing test and were forced to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class. According to The Athletic, which was first to report on these follies, the ruse was set up to “help satisfy some of Dolan’s growing cybersecurity concerns.”
The Knicks released a statement on Friday saying that this was “an unfortunate mistake,” and that the plan was always to dole out over 275 rings to “players, coaches, employees, and other members of the Knicks family,” at a cost of $3.7 million.
They then doubled down with a second statement on Saturday, which ended with: “Winning a championship was a great moment for all New Yorkers. Those who choose to focus on the negative are missing the joy that comes with the team’s accomplishment.”
The problem is that Dolan appears to be doing an awful lot to push such negatives directly to the forefront, regardless of whether it was during their historic championship run, which included a 13-game postseason win streak, securing the title, the celebrations after, and what is now a championship defense.
He heaped further pressure on his team during the Finals with a guarantee that they would win it. He feuded with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and police commissioner Jessica Tisch over watch parties outside Madison Square Garden. He brought further distractions in Game 3 of the NBA Finals by inviting President Donald Trump, which was the only game of that series that the Knicks lost.
Shortly after winning the championship, he brought Knicks fans back down to earth by saying that his team will not exceed the second apron, meaning it will be awfully difficult to keep this roster together. They already lost Mitchell Robinson in free agency to the Boston Celtics, and now they’ve tabled contract talks with Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns — the latter of whom has made his displeasure known in recent weeks.
There was another swipe at Mamdani at City Hall following the championship parade. After the Mayor delivered a brilliant, impassioned speech about Knicks fans finally being able to relish in getting to the mountaintop — and displaying his wealth of knowledge about the team — Dolan got to the mic and simply said: “I don’t need your vote. I don’t need to quote you about what happened here because if you’re real Knicks fans, you already know.”
Real Knicks fans do know about the police-like state that Dolan has set up in MSG. He relegated NBA commissioner Adam Silver to the periphery during Tuesday’s championship ceremony because they have been at odds in the past. They know of the banishment of former forward Charles Oakley and fans who have the gall to voice their displeasure with the owner. They know that attorneys and law firms involved in active litigation against him or MSG can’t get in, either.
They know about the pricing gaffe for opening night, which saw nosebleed tickets initially posted for over $1,000. Even after they temporarily paused sales, it was still the most expensive regular-season ticket in NBA history.
This is the most popular and beloved the Knicks have been in decades. Perhaps Dolan should lay low and simply enjoy the successes that have come his way. It might benefit everyone, and I mean everyone, associated with the Knicks.
For more on James Dolan and the Knicks, visit AMNY.com
