Executive Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN SPORTS
James Dolan 1-on-1: Knicks owner on epic championship victory
James Dolan, CEO and Executive Chairman of MSG, stops by Good Day New York to talk all things Knicks following their ...
About James Dolan
James Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports, spoke at several public events following the New York Knicks' 2026 NBA championship, which ended a 53-year title drought. At a championship parade at City Hall, Dolan thanked fans for their patience, saying "you all don't look older than 53 years" and that some fans "weren't born yet" when the team last won. He stated the team would "keep working to bring you even better basketball." During a subsequent radio interview, Dolan said he had not previously addressed the team before the playoffs, and that he told players the season required "10 weeks" of focus and "sacrifice" to achieve a championship. In other media appearances, Dolan discussed the team's culture change, saying he sought "the best collector of talent" rather than focusing on a specific strategy. He responded to a question about selling the team by stating "I don't think we're going to sell the team" and that he was focused on "repeating." Dolan also criticized the mayor's office over restrictions around Madison Square Garden, saying their decisions "makes absolutely no sense at all" and that he believed New Yorkers could handle the event.
Transcript (65 segments)
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
H
Host0:01
Well, after 53 years, the New York Knicks are NBA champions. And despite some bumps along the way, the Knicks won 16 of their 19 playoff games on route to a historic title. Joining us now for an exclusive TV interview is the man who made this all possible, James Dolan, CEO, executive chairman of Madison Square Garden. Jim, nice to have you back on Good Day.
J
James Dolan0:26
Glad to be here.
H
Host0:26
This is amazing. Have you gotten any sleep after everything?
J
James Dolan0:30
I finally got a few hours last night, but it's been long.
H
Host0:34
So, let me ask you something. Did you have any inclination at all about how this city would react during this championship period?
J
James Dolan0:45
Not like this. I knew that there was a lot of pent-up frustration, but we're obviously really happy about how people have all come together. The whole city's turned to orange. It's great for the city. It's great to see people coming together on something.
H
Host1:05
I was about to say we're proud to be New Yorkers. I mean, you have brought everybody together. We all forgot about our problems, our politics, and you brought us all together. And it's the power of the Knicks. What was it about this team that brought this elation?
J
James Dolan1:24
I think that it was the team itself. I mean, the guys. They're all lovely people, good character people, and I think that people felt that throughout the season, but particularly in the playoffs. With Jalen leading them, they're very likable.
H
Host1:44
When did you know or did you have any idea that this team could go all the way?
J
James Dolan1:50
Last year.
H
Host1:51
You felt it last year. What was it about it?
J
James Dolan1:55
Well, we made it to the semi-finals, right? We just needed a little something more and we could get over the hurdle. We saw it last year in the playoffs and we just needed to go the rest of the way.
H
Host2:12
Now, I know you were very instrumental with giving them a pep talk and saying, you know, stay focused. What was that pep talk like for you?
J
James Dolan2:21
For me it was important because I had never spoken to the team like that before.
H
Host2:26
You haven't? Why?
J
James Dolan2:27
Because I never felt that it was my turn to do that. I wasn't going to tell them how to play. That's the coach's job. But I thought I had a message that they needed to hear, and so I gave it to them.
H
Host2:46
And you know what? It's funny because sometimes, you know, when these guys are in a championship season, you hear that they're out in the clubs and carousing and they're out late. That's not our guys.
J
James Dolan2:57
No, they don't do that.
H
Host2:59
And was it the pep talk where you kind of put them on notice?
J
James Dolan3:03
No, no. Look, I can't take credit for that. They're high-quality people and they were focused. I was able to talk to them and help them focus, but they would have focused anyway, I think. As I said to them at the beginning, I just had to be sure that I told them about what this was going to be and what they could do.
H
Host3:36
And they did it.
J
James Dolan3:37
And they did it, right?
H
Host3:38
One part of the pep talk that's going viral. We have a little clip of your pep talk. Let's listen.
J
James Dolan3:47
I had this idea that maybe you should give up sex for the next 10 weeks. You don't have to give up sex for the next 10 weeks. Go home, talk to your wives, tell them don't tell me you're not going to have sex. And don't tell them it was my idea.
H
Host4:02
Well, some of them told their wives about this.
J
James Dolan4:05
Well, and I'm not sure whether they listened to you or not.
H
Host4:09
Oh, no, they heard me for sure.
J
James Dolan4:11
Because the pep talk was really about 10 weeks, right? It actually became a thing around the team talking about 10 weeks. Could we stay focused for 10 weeks? The whole thing about no sex was more of a joke than anything else, but it was to emphasize the point that it was going to require sacrifice over those 10 weeks. Our guys did sacrifice because you can't take the problems from home and bring them to work. They were able to focus.
H
Host4:54
And tomorrow, everybody's city coming together again, the parade. Tell me about what's going through your mind about the parade and how you're going to soak it in.
J
James Dolan5:05
Well, I've never been in a parade before, so I have no idea other than it's going to be great. We put it together with the city. We have everybody from Clyde to the old team to the new team, the Knicks City Dancers, there's like five marching bands. When we get to City Hall, we have a special performance by Alicia Keys.
H
Host5:30
What?
J
James Dolan5:33
Special performance by Alicia Keys.
H
Host5:33
Is she singing Empire State of Mind?
J
James Dolan5:36
She is.
H
Host5:37
To bring down the whole city.
J
James Dolan5:39
It's going to be a moment, right?
H
Host5:40
I don't know if I'm prepared for this. I need to listen to it on repeat before tomorrow.
J
James Dolan5:46
No, I mean, it's going to be very emotional. You couldn't bring Frank Sinatra, so you brought Alicia Keys.
H
Host5:52
Is Jay-Z going to be there with her?
J
James Dolan5:57
I don't think so. I haven't heard that, but I know she's coming.
H
Host6:01
That is amazing. All right, so what's next for the team? What should we know?
J
James Dolan6:06
Well, we have to get ready for next season because we went so far in the playoffs all the way to the finals. We're right up against draft day and trade days, so we've already begun meetings about next season. Our focus is going to be to repeat.
H
Host6:26
You can do it. I'm sure that you've gotten plenty of phone calls from some rich people who like the team now that it's on fire, evaluated at billions and billions of dollars. Would you ever consider Elon Musk, a trillionaire now who's got a lot of money to throw around? If he said, 'Hey Jim, give me a little piece,' or 'Can I buy the team from you?'
J
James Dolan6:54
No, I don't think we're going to sell the team. We've been at this a long time and I'm going to enjoy this team. The stock of the team has gone up dramatically in the last year and there's really no reason for us to consider any of that. I think we're just going to focus on repeating.
H
Host7:16
I love it. And I know you don't like to gossip, but that's not the only exciting thing happening at MSG. Is Taylor Swift getting married at MSG?
J
James Dolan7:25
You got to ask Taylor Swift that.
H
Host7:27
I knew you were going to say that. Anyway, can we talk about the Sphere?
J
James Dolan7:31
Yes, let's talk about it.
H
Host7:31
Because everybody's very excited about new things happening at the Sphere. Rocky Horror Picture Show. Oh my god.
J
James Dolan7:38
That's going to be epic. It's going to be even better than the film. What we did to Wizard of Oz, we're going to do to Rocky Horror. It's not quite as general of an audience for kids, so we'll be balancing Wizard of Oz in the early hours and Rocky Horror in the late hours. Rocky Horror was known as a film when I was growing up. You would go to the theater and it was audience participation.
H
Host8:09
Fun.
J
James Dolan8:10
Yeah, which is perfect for the Sphere because it's an immersive medium. I think when people go to Rocky Horror, they're going to be dancing the whole time and having the best time. The performances, Tim Curry, no one equals Tim Curry's performance, and we're going to really highlight that stuff.
H
Host8:27
Great music. Oh my goodness.
J
James Dolan8:29
The music is just unbelievable.
H
Host8:31
Okay, something to look forward to. Meanwhile, I don't know, what do you have over there? What did you bring with you?
J
James Dolan8:35
Oh, how did I forget? Josh Hart signed this ball for you.
H
Host8:42
What? Oh my goodness. Thank you. Thank you.
J
James Dolan8:46
Championship caps for your team.
H
Host8:49
Thank you. You're the best, Jim Dolan. You have made the city so happy. I'm just wondering, because you made New York, which is a big place. What do we have? 8 million people here? Have you thought about maybe running for national office and making the country a happy place?
J
James Dolan9:07
I'm not quite sure that running a basketball team is the same as running the country.
H
Host9:16
Think about it, though. You're on a roll.
J
James Dolan9:20
I'm pretty happy right where I'm at.
H
Host9:23
Anyway, thank you so much. Congratulations and thanks to everybody on the team.
J
James Dolan9:27
All right, go next.
H
Host9:28
Tomorrow is going to be a big day and we are your home for all the Knicks celebration tomorrow.