It’s official. No more Knicks basketball till October.
As that tune says, wake me up when September ends.
Here’s (likely, but who knows) the last Bulletin of the season.
On refusing to sign a Giants helmet:
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“Wait, wait, I am not signing that. That’s against my religion. Are you gonna make me sign a Giants helmet? Can I write ‘Go Birds’ on it? I’m gonna write ‘Go Birds’ on it.”
On signing a discount extension rather than waiting for a max deal:
“Everyone looks at it as leaving money on the table. And to a certain degree, it is, the most I could sign for at the time was like $156 million. If I had waited a year, it would’ve been about $100 million more… But the average NBA career is about four years. Having that uncertainty of betting on yourself, you don’t really know.
“So just having that in my back pocket, knowing I’m good, my family’s good, I can just play free. I don’t have to worry about anything. It definitely had to do with my decision.”
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On his spending habits and preserving his wealth:
“But no matter what, my lifestyle wouldn’t change. Like, it wasn’t like I bought a bunch of things. Everything that I, even to this day I know it’s crazy. Like, if I feel like I’m making a big purchase, I’m going to call my parents. I’m going to call, like, ‘What do you think about this?’ And they’re like, ‘You’re a grown-a– man. You can do what you want.’
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I just want to make sure I’m doing the right [thing].’ I still, like, give myself like those checks to make sure I’m doing everything right [thing], because it’s just it’s important for me to have this [wealth] for obviously as long as I can and for my future generations.”
On his partnership with AND1:
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“It’s been amazing, because it’s about more than just a shoe. It’s about family, community, and being part of a basketball legacy that I grew up on! And also… I’m rocking a custom AND1 fit for the ESPYs.”
On when AND1 first approached him about a sneaker deal:
“Dex Gordon approached me while I was still with the Pelicans. The interest was there, but the timing wasn’t quite right.”
On his favorite AND1 sneakers:
“I love the Attack 4 Lo that I’ve been rocking and, of course, the Tai Chi….but the Mad Game Pros are my favorite!”
On future AND1 sneakers he may wear:
“I’ve been working closely with the design team, so I have to be careful not to give away too much. But there will be more colorways of the Mad Games and Attack 4s coming…”
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On his goals for the AND1 partnership:
“I want to see everybody wearing AND1s, both on and off the court. And I want a chance to update basketball courts in the communities where kids who look like me play every day. That’s just part of AND1’s DNA.”
On the athletes or celebrities he wants to see wearing his shoes:
“Fat Joe, J.Lo— and Wemby!”
On his favorite AND1 Mixtape Tour players:
“I have to say Steph Marbury AND Rafer ‘Skip to My Lou’ Alston.”
On Jalen Brunson deserving consideration as the face of the NBA:
“The face of the league comes with a lot of responsibilities, and I think one of those is winning the championship. And I haven’t did that yet so, maybe Jalen Brunson or one of those guys.”
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On speaking with Karl-Anthony Towns during the NBA Finals:
“I was turned up. It may have been like 3 in the morning when he FaceTimed me after the game.
“But yeah, I was talking to him before every game because we played San Antonio. So just, you know, give him the little tips and stuff on which players like to go which way and, you know, stuff about Wemby.”
On helping Towns prepare for Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs:
“So yeah, I gave a little cheat code, and he passed the test. So shout out KAT.”
On drawing inspiration from the Knicks’ championship run:
“The lead up to the moment doesn’t matter. We just watched the Knicks do it. Nobody thought they would win. Then they got there, dominated, and they were the best team ever. It’s just how the outside narrative works. But we got a lot of work to do.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ response to criticism:
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“He was a pro through everything. I would get mad and if I talked to him, he’d be like, ‘Hey, it is what it is.’”
On advising Towns to stop trying to draw fouls:
“Karl was taking some heat and I was so mad. He didn’t deserve that. But the only thing I did tell him — ‘They’re not calling fouls so quit flopping.’
“If you’re going to shoot it, they’re going to foul you. And they’re not calling it. I’m watching the Spurs and OKC beat the s–t out of each other [in the Western Conference finals]. No calls. And I said, ‘Look man, go for and-ones, and if they don’t foul you, at least you’ll make the basket. Flopping ain’t helping.’”
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On the benefits of running the Knicks’ offense through Towns:
“Playing through Karl did two things — it opened the court for all those other guys. So now they were all All-Stars. It did not take away from what Jalen [Brunson] is going to do at the end of games. He’s maybe the best ever [in the clutch]. I want to say the best ever but you have Michael [Jordan]. But in this era, late in the game, when you need a basket [he’s the best].
“But you can’t play that way 48 minutes. So playing through Karl earlier in the games, it’s spacing the court, he’s helluva passer, can make a couple 3s. And you know what else it got him to do? He started defending better because he was engaged.
“Think about if it’s you, you’re down there bumping and grinding, and you’re touching the ball every seventh trip down. Now you’re touching it way more. You’re gonna try harder on defense.”
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On how the Knicks can continue improving:
“They have to get a little bit better. That’s all. All of them get a little bit better.
“And what they have is a rhythm now and how they play and each guy can be a star in what he does. Josh [Hart] is a star at what he does. [Mikal] Bridges is a star at what he does. OG [Anunoby]? Star at what he does. And they all have different roles. Jalen is that centerpiece. Karl is the guy you play through. And when the s–t is on the line, Jalen shoots the ball. It is what it is.”
On NBA stars accepting less money to help their teams:
“People are getting pissed. But there is a second apron for a reason — to discourage that from happening.
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“But it makes me feel good — what’s the difference between $400 million and $502 million? I don’t begrudge somebody saying, ‘No, I earned it.’ I don’t begrudge. But I’m saying it’s kinda neat. Because I’m about team. And that means — I care about myself and my family, but I also care about this team. What’s the common ground? What’s the middle ground? I got to give up a little bit.”
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