A Lifetime of Fandom: How the New York Knicks Became a Family Legacy

The Power of Fandom

Do you know what you want your last thought to be? I have waited my whole life for mine. Most people, I imagine, don’t choose theirs. They arrive at the end and find loved ones’ faces gathered around their bed. Their subconscious gifts them the sound of their child’s laugh, or the memory of their wedding day rises from the dark like a lantern, unbidden. The mind, in its final kindness, selects for them. But I decided long ago that I would not leave that to chance.

A Family Legacy

When I think about my last thought, there are no children in the room. There is no spouse. I am alone. One last time, I will glance out the window or follow the ceiling fan into a trance. Then, I will close my eyes and travel back to now, to the New York Knicks winning the NBA championship. I will return to my father. And to our precious Knicks.

Memories of a Lifetime

I am six years old, and after a turbulent divorce, I have not seen my father in months. Long enough that when his car pulls up outside, I look through the window at the man walking toward the door, and I do not recognize him. My own father is a stranger crossing the distance between the curb and the front door.

The Impact of Fandom

I chose the Knicks because I wanted something to share with my father. I did not know it would become the thing I held on to when everything else gave way. I was just 17, and I wanted my dad to hug me again like a child, and I wanted something to be excited about together, and so I pledged my heart to the Knicks. I had no idea that I was also, in that moment, choosing to live.

A Championship Moment

I have my last thought now. It took my entire life to find it, but I have it. All I needed was one chip with Pops. Just one. Now we have it.