Executive Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN SPORTS
James Dolan Addresses Knicks Fans After Ending 53 Years of Pain!
In a rare and must-see interview, New York Knicks owner James Dolan joins Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle on WFAN following the franchise's first championship since 1973!
Dolan opens up about the emotional title run, his now-viral speech to the team, the culture change that transformed the Knicks, and what this championship means to generations of fans.
Plus:
🏆 Behind-the-scenes stories from the championship season
🔥 The speech that inspired the Knicks' title run
👀 What Dolan really thinks about Jalen Brunson, Leon Rose and Mike Brown
🎙️ Craig Carton gets unprecedented access to the Knicks...
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 (163 segments)
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
H
Host0:00
On January 5th, 2026, a young man came into our studios, our first guest ever of the card, and showed Big Mac, and he said, 'I think this team's good enough to win a championship. We're not going after Giannis. I think there's enough talent right here, right now. We're winning a championship.' And then a week and a half ago, that same young man came into the studio and said, 'Not only are we winning tonight's game at the Garden, we're winning a championship.' That young man is Jim Dolan, who once again joins us in studio as a champion. Jim, good afternoon and congratulations on your first championship as the owner of the New York Knicks.
J
James Dolan0:39
Was I right about that game? I was wrong about that game.
H
Host0:42
You were wrong for about an hour and a half and then you were right for about 10 minutes.
J
James Dolan0:46
Yeah. No, it was game four. The was game four. Game three, right? Okay.
H
Host0:50
You were right. The 29-point comeback. That's the game. We have to go back a while to find you being wrong. So, don't worry about it. All right. So, let's go. Your perspective. You said baseline. I think you're on the other baseline if I'm not mistaken. When OG has the tip in. Give me your perspective as that play's unfolding. Down by one.
J
James Dolan1:09
Oh, but it wasn't just that one play.
H
Host1:12
Yeah. Right.
J
James Dolan1:13
I mean, it was that entire six or seven minutes. Everybody felt this. We were down so much. When you're down that much, in your head you start going through how we're going to get better, how we're still going to win the series. Down 29, it's hard to come back from, but in the back of your head behind all that conversation is, we're still not cemented over. You start playing a math game. If we can cut it to this number, get me to 15 by the fourth quarter. Exactly. You know, we have to do everything perfect for sure.
H
Host2:03
Right. For that period of time, each defensive play, each offensive play you're looking at, we have to do this perfectly. And they just did.
J
James Dolan2:13
They did. And then fast forward, obviously you go back to San Antonio. Spurs, much like the Cavs before them and the Sixers, still thought they were the better team. Thought they outplayed you guys. And maybe they did for a portion of the series. But not in the fourth quarter. Down 16. People are going to forget that in the second half, which is nothing compared to down 29, obviously.
H
Host2:34
No, it's not. So I assume down 16 in game five you're thinking to yourself, been here done that, we're good still or no?
J
James Dolan2:43
Yeah. Well, for the game it was too early. Down 16 was not, you know, for this team. But when we got to the beginning of the fourth quarter we were only down five. I'm like, oh, that's not enough.
H
Host2:59
You're right. You're right. So, obviously a lot to talk to you about, but look, I don't know that your life changes because of it, but the way you're perceived changes because of it because now you're a champion. And as you said in that speech on April 3rd, which has now gone viral, which we'll get to in a second, did you wake up feeling differently? Is there a monkey off your back? You were maligned in this town. You know that you were not the most well-liked owner in this town for a long period of time. And the Knicks had a long time of trying to, you having trouble getting out of their own way. How is it different for you now walking the streets of New York and going to the places you go as a...
J
James Dolan3:38
I can't walk the streets of New York now. Isn't it right? Both times I couldn't walk the streets. When we were really doing bad, it was hard to walk the streets. Now we're really doing good. It's still hard to walk the streets.
H
Host3:49
Is it a sense of relief for you?
J
James Dolan3:51
Yeah, there was definitely a sense of relief. It was what I said in the speech. The speech really did embody how I feel about the team and about the whole season. I knew that we could win. There was no doubt in my mind that we could win, and I felt the team felt that they could win. But that doesn't mean they would win. Doesn't mean they will win.
H
Host4:21
So why did you give that speech April 3rd? Chicago Bulls. I'm not sure if it was before that game or right after. I imagine it was before and they won by 40 that night.
J
James Dolan4:29
Actually before.
H
Host4:30
So they win by 40 that night after your speech. What was the impetus for you in that moment with this team? Because I don't think you've given a lot of speeches like that over the years.
J
James Dolan4:40
I have never spoken to the team.
H
Host4:42
So why that moment?
J
James Dolan4:44
I just felt that we were so close. I knew we were close. And remember, we're still like four games left. And I have to say I was concerned that the team was going to think, well, we'll turn it on in the playoffs. I'm like, you can't turn it on in the playoffs. You got to turn it on before the playoffs. You got to get into a rhythm. You got to focus. So I decided I wanted to go down and tell them that, because I didn't know if I was ever going to get another chance. If I was ever going to get that close again. And I felt I had to do everything that I could do without interfering, to try and help the team. And I thought that this would help the team.
H
Host5:39
Yeah. You're obviously the owner of the team. You don't need permission. But is it something you discussed with Leon Rose or the coach before you gave the speech?
J
James Dolan5:45
Oh, yeah. No, I didn't just show up and say, 'Hey, fellas, gather around.'
H
Host5:51
Did they tell you they thought it was an appropriate thing, too, and they were behind it?
J
James Dolan5:54
No, they were for it. Absolutely. I think honestly that coach and Leon were concerned about the same things. And look, if I didn't give that speech, chances are we still would have won. But we were all trying to do as much as we could to get the team ready.
H
Host6:17
Was it extemporaneous or did you plan what you were going to say or was that literally off the top?
J
James Dolan6:20
I had to make some notes because I knew there was a whole bunch of topics I wanted to cover. If I try and do it from memory, I'm old and I got something.
H
Host6:31
One of the topics I did want to ask you about because you mentioned the decision, we talked about it here on January 5th as well, and you called it the decision that shocked the world to fire Tibs, right? And to bring it up in that meeting, I was curious now, how much did that weigh on you knowing that you would be so second-guessed if this team didn't come to a better place than it did under Tibs and if that decision specifically was on your mind as this group was going towards the championship?
J
James Dolan6:59
Well, it was definitely on my mind. And I guess I wanted to be sure it was on their mind, too. Because they were part of it also. I mean, they didn't make the decision, Leon and I made the decision. But it was for their benefit. And they knew why we did it. So I just wanted to remind them that we did do this and this is why we did it. And now, if you listen to the speech, I said, now we're going to get proven either brilliant or stupid.
H
Host7:34
Yeah. Listen, we've talked in the past about the decision to get rid of Tibs. Tibs gets the credit he deserves for getting the team as far as he got. There's no bad blood there at all. It was time for a change. And look, you talked to a lot of people and considered a lot of people before you landed on Mike. I'm trying to think though, and we had Mike Green on earlier and obviously you've talked to a lot of Knicks and people involved with you guys throughout the playoffs. I'm trying to figure out what happened after game three against Atlanta Hawks where it seems like a light bulb went off or a switch was flipped because in game four from game four on in Atlanta they played differently. And I'm trying to figure out was there a meeting, was there a conversation, did someone raise their hand and go, hey guys, I figured it out? Is there any insight you can give us that other than Mike telling us Karl-Anthony Towns did go to coach and Leon and say, hey, maybe we should try having me at the top of the key run the point like Joker does to try to open up the offense a little bit more outside of that?
J
James Dolan8:35
Well, that's the great thing about Mike. Karl can go in and say that and Mike will listen to him and he'll consider it and obviously he implemented it.
H
Host8:47
So, truly collaborative.
J
James Dolan8:48
Truly collaborative. So, I mean, I don't know. I'm not inside the players' heads. But that was why we did the things that we did, so that they would think about it together. I was at that game. I sat next to Stefan in that game and it was like the second quarter and we're like 40 points. I mean, who wins by 40? Who's winning by 40 points in a playoff game? I was blown away. And we actually got to be a lot more than 40 then went back down. But that was us playing very well and them not playing well.
H
Host9:38
Talk to me about Leon Rose. Leon Rose has been somewhat media shy by his own making. He doesn't love talking to the press. Matter of fact, since he became team president, he's talked to Mike Breen on MSG, I think once or twice a year, and that's pretty much the extent of his public speaking. But, you know, when you first hired Leon Rose, obviously was a great agent. You guys had a relationship with him, had negotiated with him.
J
James Dolan10:01
He was Carmelo's agent.
H
Host10:02
Yes. So, I know you respected him from a business standpoint. Can you tell us now five years ago what you saw in him that made you think he would be great at running this franchise?
J
James Dolan10:16
Well, I didn't really look at it that way. It was more a change in my thinking about the job that drove me to Leon. Because prior to that with other iterations of GMs and presidents, we focused more on the coaching and the strategy. There were times, and I'm sure Knicks fans remember this, when what I call the bright shiny thing in front of you, you want to grab it. There were times when we flipped our strategy in order to get the shiny object.
H
Host11:08
Get the shiny object, right?
J
James Dolan11:10
Phil Jackson, I didn't say that. That's not true. But that's the temptation in New York. If you're running a team and you're under the gun in New York, you want to produce because if you don't produce, guys like you are going to tear them apart. You're afraid of doing badly and you're dying to do great. You're hoping for a quick solution, a savior to come in. I didn't want to do that anymore. I wanted to get great talent in. I'm not going to worry about a GM who's really good at strategy like Phil was with the triangle. After Phil, I was like, I don't care what strategy they use. Come up with a good strategy. What I need is the best collector of talent.
H
Host12:14
So let me ask you this on that note, talking to Jim Dolan, owner of the champion New York Knicks, the parade tomorrow. Of course, not a single one of your starters was a New York Knicks first round draft pick. Not one of them. You acquired Karl-Anthony Towns famously was the number one pick overall, but not by you guys. Jalen Brunson, a second round pick, not by you guys. OG Anunoby, not by you guys.
J
James Dolan12:37
Mikal Bridges, top 10 pick.
H
Host12:39
Well, I would think the satisfaction you get now after the fact that what you just said to us, you wanted to find someone that's not an X's and O's guy necessarily, but a guy that knows how to find talent and then bring the right talent in that meshes together. You guys did that in spades. None of those guys are your drafts.
J
James Dolan12:57
That's all Leon. I mean, Leon did all that.
H
Host13:00
You could argue he's the greatest general manager in New York City history.
J
James Dolan13:03
You could. I mean, we won a championship. I had a lot of general managers who didn't win a championship. So you could easily make that argument. But he did what he already was excellent at. Before he came to us, Leon was really the number one agent in basketball. Really considered to be the best guy, the one all the teams related to, all the players related to, all the other agents related to. So what better guy to help assemble a team for the New York Knicks than a guy who is as connected and influential as Leon Rose?
H
Host13:42
Can you keep him?
J
James Dolan13:43
Leon?
H
Host13:44
Yeah.
J
James Dolan13:45
Well, he's not under the CBA.
H
Host13:48
I'm just saying he's in his 60s now. He loves the Jersey Shore. He's won a championship now. He's not going anywhere.
J
James Dolan13:55
I'm just confident that fire is still burning. I doubt Leon's going. He's under contract anyway. But it's more about what he wants. I believe we've wet his whistle, but I don't believe we've totally satisfied him.
H
Host14:16
I hope not, because the only thing better than one championship is a second championship.
J
James Dolan14:19
Well, we actually already have met about next season.
H
Host14:24
Is that right? Well, I know you guys are working out the Duke point guard already for the draft, which is next week. The draft is that's the thing. It never stops.
J
James Dolan14:31
I mean, when you go all the way to the finals, your time period to prepare gets really crunched. So Leon and I met on Tuesday and we just did the first overview.
H
Host14:44
Is there a feeling from you and Leon having had that meeting similar to what the Yankees did this year, a run it back kind of sense? Or do you think there might be potentially based on individual contracts that while the core will be the core, do you think there's a chance that we have two, three, four player turnover or no?
J
James Dolan15:01
First off, most of our guys are under contract. We have a couple guys who are not. If we could bring back the whole team exactly as it is, I think why wouldn't you? But I don't know if we're going to be able to just contractually. Some guys are going to get bigger paydays and good for them. We're willing to stretch, but there's certain things in the NBA that you have to be societal to do and we're not going to do those. One of them is called the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron.
H
Host15:39
Got it.
J
James Dolan15:41
But that's up to Leon.
H
Host15:47
He's making all the decisions. You're just stroking checks, right?
J
James Dolan15:50
Yeah. I'm just telling him how big of a check I can write. I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check that goes into the second apron.
H
Host16:00
Got it. We've had a pretty successful year financially as well. Knock on wood. So maybe there's a couple extra bucks should he really need it for a certain...
J
James Dolan16:07
As much as we can get whenever. We've spent on this team a lot, not just on the players but on infrastructure. And there's one thing I would like to point out that not everybody has picked up. When you take a look at the year before this and then this year, the really big difference in the team is the...
H
Host16:32
Yes.
J
James Dolan16:33
When we went into the playoffs last year, we were not healthy.
H
Host16:39
It was the year before that, right? It was very bad.
J
James Dolan16:45
This year we went into that first round. We had nobody on the injury report.
H
Host16:51
When you got the phone call that Mitchell Robinson hurt his hand, pinky hand, and then we kind of... What's the fifth metacarpal? What was your initial reaction just to the fact that he might be out or hurt?
J
James Dolan17:07
Well, I have a lot of faith in our guy and our team, particularly our wellness team. And at the same time they told me, they also told me that he was going to play. So I didn't worry about it. But I also knew that we were deep and we could handle it. And I wanted to know how long if he was going to be out, and it wasn't long. By the time we got to the game, he was high-fiving guys, he was doing more than what we asked him to do on the floor.
H
Host17:46
So let me ask you this. When you're sitting courtside and you're watching and you see Wemby, who's going to be a great player, no doubt about it, and may one day be the face of the league, who knows, and you see him do that weird like karate kick move towards Anunoby's knee or puts his foot under Jalen when he rolls his ankle there and looks like he's writhing in pain or when he face palms Jalen's head and throws him down or closes out on Josh Hart in the corner three and puts his foot under him and there's no call and there's a retroactive flagrant one. Do you call Adam Silver? Do you just curse someone else out?
J
James Dolan18:23
You're trying to get in trouble, right?
H
Host18:24
I do not want to get you in trouble. The season's over. We're good.
J
James Dolan18:28
The season might be over for you, but I'm still a member of the NBA. Look, I'm not that worried about it. The first thing I would tell you about the referees is that all of them want to do a good job.
H
Host18:45
I believe that.
J
James Dolan18:45
They do, and none of them as far as I can tell have any real biases one team versus the other. They have different styles of refereeing, and that I think makes it difficult. Like one game is much more physical, they allow it. The next game it's ticky-tack fouls called. Some of the older referees who I really think are great look more at the flow of the game and look at each other's strategy. They'll say to San Antonio, 'We're not going to let you grab these guys every time. That's not a strategy you should use.' But then they won't catch everything. I think the game itself is almost impossible to call perfectly.
H
Host19:39
Yes. To call perfectly. But when you palm a dude's head and throw him down to the ground, it's not perfect. Somebody's got to see that. And not only missed on the floor, then able to look back on it and still not call it a flagrant.
J
James Dolan19:56
I think what the referee community would say to you about this is that look, when you look at the San Antonio Knicks series, did the better team win? Did the team that played better, did they win? And I think the answer obviously is yes.
H
Host20:14
Well, you beat him in the Emirates Cup, right? You proved championship mettle there back in December.
J
James Dolan20:20
Which I thought was great because sometimes you have to learn how to win. I also don't think we should understate the fact that you have champions on your team. OG was a part of the Raptors championship. And we were in much better condition than they were.
H
Host20:33
Yes, they were winded in the fourth quarter. We were not.
J
James Dolan20:35
I agree with you. That's the same thing as we had nobody on the injury report. We were in much better condition. For the last two and a half years, we've been investing in wellness. Our wellness team knows load management. They test the guys for strength, for evenness of strength. They predict injuries. They literally predict injuries. They measured Landry's strength in his shoulder and said he can play but you can only load him this much.
H
Host21:19
So it's really scientific.
J
James Dolan21:20
It's extreme, very data driven with a lot of measurement. We've invested in all of that stuff and we have a lot of people on staff that do nothing but that. That's very different. And that actually goes to why we also made the coaching change.
H
Host21:40
To be fair, Thibs ran your starters into the ground.
J
James Dolan21:42
Well, no, it's not that. It's that he used the old style of coaching. He's a great coach and he was really good at that. But the old style of coaching is everything comes through me. I make every decision. Basically I'm the smartest guy in the room to make these decisions. With Thibs, most of the times he was the smartest guy in the room. But we had all these resources and we needed a much more collaborative approach. And Mike, of course, right, really witnessed by that whole experience.
H
Host22:18
You know what's interesting about Mike Brown is that Mike Brown got fired in Sacramento in large part because of his relationship with De'Aaron Fox. He gave De'Aaron Fox some tough love which nobody had, I guess, in his college career or in the pros and it led to him being fired. And it come full circle now that De'Aaron Fox's poor play and missing those three shots late in the fourth quarter and many other shots. Karma came full circle. Let me go back to your speech for a second. You plan on giving the only speech of its kind in your history as the owner of the New York Knicks. And it's not like you're in front of an audience where they're going to applaud like, 'Hey, great job. And our next speaker is so and so.'
J
James Dolan22:56
10 weeks, baby. 10 weeks.
H
Host22:57
You came the 10 weeks. You joked about being celibate and all that stuff, which is impossible for an NBA team.
J
James Dolan23:03
Got their attention.
H
Host23:05
I did get it. Got my attention, too. We need 10 AC Greens on this roster. But I wonder when you finish the speech and again no one's clapping. The guys here, the owners speak and they go play and they won by 40 that night against the Bulls. Did you have a sense that went over well? Did you look to some of your guys and gals that worked for you saying, 'How do you think that went? Was it well-received?' Or did you really have no idea other than you felt a passion to do it? Whether or not it helped, you didn't know.
J
James Dolan23:38
No. I relate to the guys. Particularly KAT and Jalen. OG is one of my favorite people. I love him. But all the guys, I did look in their eyes while I was giving the speech and I did talk to them afterwards just to say, 'Was that okay?' I did get feedback. Mostly I said, 'Are you on board with 10 weeks?' And every one of them was like, '10 weeks.' Jose was crazy. I was like, '10 weeks.' But every time he saw me for the next 10 weeks, '10 weeks.'
H
Host24:16
You and I spoke after they beat Atlanta and I asked you a direct question. What were the festivities like in the locker room when they eliminated Atlanta and you said to me there were none. It was pure business.
J
James Dolan24:30
Which goes back to the 10 week promise. We were only 3 weeks into the 10 weeks.
H
Host24:35
I wonder if that was the moment where you said they bought in.
J
James Dolan24:39
I can't sit there and say that they... Look, it wasn't like I was working with a blank slate. These guys want to win. Of course they want to win. I just helped focus them a little bit at that time. And that's probably more than I should be taking credit for because these are professional athletes who made their whole life in basketball and of course they want to win. Mostly they needed to come together a little more as a team and focus in and believe. A lot of it is belief. If you believe you can do it and you understand what it takes, then you can do it.
H
Host25:27
And then you make a decision.
J
James Dolan25:28
So the signature moment of that speech other than the joke about celibacy is do it, commit to it, go for it.
H
Host25:39
There's been talks amongst us, maybe not amongst you guys, that the tip-in play warrants a statue outside of Madison Square Garden with, you know, right on the side of it. 'Do it. Go for it.' What was it again? 'Commit to do it. Commit to it. Go for it.' Is there a chance a play that is now affectionately being known as the tip will be emblazoned in bronze outside of Madison Square Garden?
J
James Dolan26:03
I have no idea. Little early for that one.
H
Host26:07
I think we did. Yeah. I mean, this is 5 days old.
J
James Dolan26:11
Just happened.
H
Host26:12
All right. Final couple things. Was talking to Jim Dolan, owner of the Knicks. Many, many years ago, I forget who, an interview that you did with a newspaper scribe. You had talked about when it wasn't realistic that if the Knicks won a championship you're not going on the parade and that was different. Maybe a number of years ago. The parade is tomorrow. I assume you will be at that parade and one of the convertibles or buses or whatnot.
J
James Dolan26:35
Yes, I would say I've evolved from that position. You're now a champion, you should enjoy the fruits of the labor. So I'll be there.
H
Host26:45
Is there a moment you think where you're going to have to pinch yourself and recognize that this is real? Because of the amount of time that you've been the owner, 1999 to now, where you're going to be like, 'I can't believe this is actually happening.'
J
James Dolan26:59
That happened at game five.
H
Host27:02
It did.
J
James Dolan27:03
Yeah. I mean, those last minute or so when it became pretty clear that we were going to win.
H
Host27:12
Can you describe that to people?
J
James Dolan27:14
Yeah, it's kind of weird. It's really weird actually. Have you ever been in a snowstorm in a car and then lost control of your car and know that you're going to hit a tree or a guardrail and there's nothing you can do? And you're just waiting for the impact.
H
Host27:30
It felt like that?
J
James Dolan27:32
Yeah. I mean, it felt like, 'Oh my god, this is actually going to happen.' And I just hung on to the wheel. But instead of impacting a guardrail, we won a championship. I've obviously dreamed about it and thought about it. But to see it happen was surreal. It was like being in a car and knowing you're going to be in an accident but you aren't in it yet.
H
Host27:59
Yeah. And I want to take you back to that day and to another speech you gave. You're on the podium. You're handed the trophy. You're given the opportunity to speak and the first thing you do is apologize to New York. In that moment, why the apology? What was going through your head where that was you could have said anything. You could have declared yourself a champion, the team a champion, and you decided to apologize to New York and to the fan base. What was going through your head in that moment that that's what you decided to say?
J
James Dolan28:25
Look, I should have done it earlier. My whole career, the whole time I've been with owning the team, I've tried to learn. Some of those lessons came pretty hard. I wish I was smarter or knew how to do it better. But I did finally. I can't say I got it all figured out, but we did win a championship. I wished I knew what I know now back then 25 years ago. I probably would have made a lot of different decisions. I'm sorry it took so long. But I'm still here and I got the knowledge and we got Leon and we got this team and we won a championship. Now let's go do it again.
H
Host29:23
Let's go do it again. Did you ever... I had asked you a few years ago about the respect you have for the New York Knicks being a part of the public trust. You've seen millions of people celebrate this. The watch parties, which obviously we discussed last time you were here, and the need to let New Yorkers celebrate it the way they want to celebrate. Obviously, there's a couple knuckleheads that marred it, but largely it was awesome. And I think tomorrow is going to be awesome. And I wonder if you really had a sense of appreciation for how important the Knicks franchise is to the greater New York area from a standpoint that we're all Knicks fans. We don't share basketball with any other team. Like Mets and Yankees, Giants and Jets. But in New York, it's the Knicks and the Knicks only. And I wonder if you have a greater appreciation for that now, seeing all the celebrating, the way people, I'm sure, non-stop coming up to you.
J
James Dolan30:13
I think honestly, Greg, that it changed. 10 years ago, it still would have been really important to all the fans. But the environment today where people don't agree on anything and it's gotten nasty out there with hate speech and all of that, to have something like the Knicks come along where everybody, for once, there's one thing that everybody can be happy about. We haven't had that as New Yorkers in a long time. I think that fed into the championship.
H
Host30:57
It unified New York in a manner that I think only sports and music can. I don't think there's anything else on this planet that can bring people together from all walks of life.
J
James Dolan31:05
I wish it was completely music because even music has been affected by people making speeches instead of... We have artists who come to the Garden and turn their concerts into political rallies. I'm like, 'No, no, no. Let's do the music. Don't do the politics.'
H
Host31:24
Speaking of music, I understand Alicia Keys will be performing.
J
James Dolan31:27
She will tomorrow at the ceremony.
H
Host31:30
Any other surprises musically that we should know about?
J
James Dolan31:33
Let's see. We have some of the Wu-Tang Clan. Wu-Tang is performing. We've got Fat Joe. Fat Joe performing. Ja Rule. There's going to be a float with performances throughout the parade.
H
Host31:55
So fans can see it. So the parade's going to be a lot of fun. So the parade's almost like Thanksgiving now.
J
James Dolan32:00
Alicia will be at the ceremony during the parade. So that way every fan gets to see it.
H
Host32:06
So Jeremy off air. Alicia Keys will perform at One Police Plaza, City Hall, where the actual speeches will be and the recognition and you'll probably get a proclamation from the government, etc. But throughout the parade route, you'll have other people performing for fans that may not be able to get to City Hall throughout the parade route.
J
James Dolan32:23
And we're going to hand out 15,000 Knicks parade t-shirts during the parade. We have the Knicks City Dancers. There's five marching bands. It's an extravaganza. There are a lot of people coming. One of the things about the parade is that it's a ticker tape parade.
H
Host32:49
Yes.
J
James Dolan32:49
And when's the last time we've had a ticker tape parade?
H
Host32:52
Well, the Knicks I know you know this.
J
James Dolan32:54
Not just us. I mean anybody.
H
Host32:55
You guys have never had it. In 1973, Lindsay said no parade. Yankees did in '09, Giants did in '11. And I know the women's soccer team did as well, but from a standpoint of New York specific teams, we've not had a parade February 2012 essentially 15 years. So 15 years, I mean, this will be almost a whole generation that has never seen... I've had people say, 'There's going to be a ticker tape parade?' They go, 'What's that?' And then they said, 'Well, what's a ticker tape?' So I start explaining what a ticker tape is. I don't know how many more of these are coming, how often the city will do them. I mean, we win again, will they do another one? They will. But I think it's an experience and I think people are coming of course to celebrate the Knicks but also to witness a ticker tape parade.
J
James Dolan33:49
Part of that, if you think about it, it's the only place in the world that ever has a ticker tape parade.
H
Host33:55
Listen, they're talking millions of people. I saw Jessica Tisch moments ago. The police commissioner said 10,000 police officers will be dispatched downtown. It's going to be a great day whether or not the sun is out. And it's going to be the likes of which we've never seen before because you guys have united a city in a time that we need to be united. Are you looking forward to the celebration at the White House?
J
James Dolan34:18
As a matter of fact, thank you for asking me that. We just did receive an invitation from the White House which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details. But, yes, of course. I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I've known him for 30 years and I'm very proud to bring the team to the White House.
H
Host34:40
You said you were privileged that a sitting president came to the Garden. First time ever for a finals game.
J
James Dolan34:44
First time ever for any NBA Finals.
H
Host34:47
That's right. And then you guys get to go back and be celebrated for the entire country to see at the White House at some future date.
J
James Dolan34:52
Yes.
H
Host34:53
Well, listen. Congratulations.
J
James Dolan34:54
Well, wait a minute. Let's go. What do we got? We got these... Got a little presents for you guys. Let me see. That is Josh Hart signed...
H
Host35:03
A Josh Hart signed basketball.
J
James Dolan35:05
There you go. Thank you very much for that.
H
Host35:07
We got championship hats.
J
James Dolan35:09
Yes, sir. I expect you guys to wear these on the show, please.
H
Host35:14
We definitely are.
J
James Dolan35:15
We have the championship t-shirts.
H
Host35:20
There's a good one here.
J
James Dolan35:21
What are you opening up a Modell's?
H
Host35:24
And then of course for Greg because he loves it so much, the popcorn.
J
James Dolan35:29
Three boxes of MSG popcorn.
H
Host35:32
Thank you, everyone, sir. Well, I got something for you actually. From Strauss Bakery, and I'll put this back in the box for you. An actual replica championship basketball, which is edible, for your staff and your guys. I'll put it back in the box for you. And from Little Cupcake Bake Shop also in Brooklyn, we've got some goods for you as well. So, you give, we give. But I just want to say this to you. I've appreciated your friendship for a very long time and because of our friendship and obviously I'm a diehard Knicks fan, have been for a long time. Knicks are my favorite team over all the teams I love. I'm truly happy for you that you got to experience this moment. You went through it and back many times in your stewardship of the New York Knicks. And the one thing I always said about you, Jim Dolan, is that you always wanted to and you tried to win. Obviously, we didn't have the right people that allowed this Knicks team to win. And to see you having the joy you have and be able to experience this moment as a Knicks fan and the steward of this public trust means the world to me and I appreciate your friendship beyond words and so happy you could join us here in the studio again and hope you truly enjoy every aspect of tomorrow and what it means to be a champion in New York.
J
James Dolan36:47
I'm really honored. Like I said to New York, sorry it took so long. And the other thing I said was hopefully the next one won't take so long.
H
Host37:00
Yeah, because you and I won't be around if it does.
J
James Dolan37:03
Speak for yourself.
H
Host37:03
I'm not sure if I got... Now we got to go get the Cup. That's the next thing.
J
James Dolan37:08
Well, actually, that is a big thing. Many of the same people who are helping me with the Knicks are focusing on the Rangers, too. Particularly my son Quinn, who does all the conditioning and wellness for both teams. So we'll see.
H
Host37:26
Were your kids at game five?
J
James Dolan37:28
Every freaking game.
H
Host37:30
They were there.
J
James Dolan37:31
They'll be on the float with me, too. Like any father, if my family wasn't there with me, this would not be half as joyful.
H
Host37:41
What would your dad have thought about this moment?
J
James Dolan37:46
He used to call when we first started, when we'd lose, he'd say, 'They shoot too many three-pointers.' Thank you, Dad.
H
Host37:57
Congratulations. Congrats. Thank you so much for coming. Jim Dolan, everybody. We'll take a quick break. We'll continue right after this.