It’s been a banner week for the New York Knicks. Then again, just about every week with the Knicks unearths a new — and often unnecessary — addition to their never-ending list of gaffes. Most recently, it’s involved a petty and entirely avoidable spat with Spike Lee, a Knicks institution unto himself who has remained a sturdy pillar of support despite decades of organizational blunders.
Now, they’ve somehow managed to alienate even him with a positively dumbfounding dispute over which entrance he’s supposedly permitted to use when he enters the arena. But it didn’t even end there. Because they are the Knicks, they compounded an already embarrassing situation with an official statement that stubbornly doubled down on their stance.
As a result, Spike is quite publicly taking some time away from the Knicks. There is a large and vocal contingent that would like to see embattled owner James Dolan sell the team, and this latest controversy could help apply pressure. On Friday as the Thunder faced the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Chris Paul used his own considerable clout to throw his support behind Spike by inscribing his sneakers with Do The Right Thing.
Chris Paul on what having “do the right thing” on his sneakers tonight meant:
“My man Spike…I was excited to see Spike and didn’t get to see him” pic.twitter.com/qXZ2crvic3
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 7, 2020
“My man, Spike. I’ve known Spike for a while, man. Shoot, I had talked to Spike a couple of days ago, actually looking forward to him being here at the game to watch me play, because I hadn’t played here in two years…I was excited to see Spike and didn’t get to see him.”
Beyond just an obvious nod to one of Spike’s most celebrated films, it’s hard not to interpret that phrase as an implicit directive to Dolan. Regardless, Knicks home games will have a glaring absence for the remainder of the season as one of the biggest superfans in all of sports reconsiders his lifelong allegiance to the Knicks.
