New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, often called the New York Knicks, are a professional basketball team from New York City, specifically the Manhattan area. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Their home games are at Madison Square Garden, which they share with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are one of two NBA teams in New York City, the other being the Brooklyn Nets. Along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams still in their starting city.

The team was started by Ned Irish in 1946 and was a founding member of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The BAA later became the NBA after joining with another league, the National Basketball League (NBL), in 1949. In the early years, the Knicks played well and often made it to the playoffs under their first coach, Joe Lapchick. Starting in 1950, they reached the NBA Finals three times in a row but did not win.

In the late 1960s, with coach Red Holzman, the Knicks became strong again and won two NBA championships. The 1980s were mixed for the team, with some playoff games but no trips to the NBA Finals.

In the 1990s, the team was led by famous player Patrick Ewing. They had strong competitions with teams like the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat. They made it to the NBA Finals but did not win a championship during this time.

Since 1999–2000, the Knicks have had some tough times. They won their first division title in 19 years in 2012–13, led by players Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. They were later eliminated by the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks did not make the playoffs for eight years until 2020–21, when players Julius Randle and RJ Barrett helped lead the team. RJ Barrett was chosen third in the 2019 NBA draft.

History

See also: List of New York Knicks seasons

1946–1967: Early years

In 1946, basketball became popular in New York City, especially college basketball. A sportswriter named Max Kase thought it would be good to start a professional basketball league. He met with the owner of Boston Garden, Walter A. Brown, who liked the idea. Together with others, they formed the Basketball Association of America (BAA) on June 6, 1946.

Ned Irish, who was president of Madison Square Garden, was there. The team was named the Knickerbockers, after a name used by author Washington Irving.

The team made the playoffs every year from 1947 to 1956. They won two NBA championships in the early 1970s under coach Red Holzman.

1967–1975: Championship years

In the 1967–68 season, the Knicks started slowly but improved under coach Red Holzman. They made the playoffs and had promising players like Phil Jackson and Walt Frazier. In the 1969–70 season, they had a long winning streak and won the NBA championship.

The Knicks won another championship in 1973, beating the Los Angeles Lakers. But after their captain retired in 1974, the team's success began to fade.

1975–1985: Post-championship years

After winning their championships, the Knicks struggled. Coach Red Holzman was replaced, and the team had losing seasons. In 1985, they drafted a promising center named Patrick Ewing, who became a star for the team.

1985–2000: The Patrick Ewing era

With Patrick Ewing, the Knicks became competitive again. They made the playoffs many times during his career. In the 1990s, they reached the NBA Finals in 1994 but lost.

2000–2003: Downfall

After Ewing left, the Knicks had tough years. They missed the playoffs and struggled.

2003–2008: Isiah Thomas era

Isiah Thomas took over as president and tried to rebuild the team, but it didn’t go well. They had losing seasons and faced many challenges.

2008–2010: Rebuilding

The team started fresh with new leadership and made changes to the roster, but still struggled to make the playoffs.

2010–2013: Arrival of Carmelo Anthony

In 2010, the Knicks signed Amar'e Stoudemire, and in 2011, they traded for Carmelo Anthony. This helped them return to the playoffs. In 2012, Jeremy Lin had a surprising run of good games, but the team didn’t go far in the playoffs.

2013–2017: Phil Jackson era

Phil Jackson became president and tried to bring success, but the team had losing seasons and missed the playoffs.

2017–2020: Further struggles

The Knicks continued to struggle, making changes to the roster and coaching staff but not finding success.

2020–present: Return to success

In 2020, the Knicks hired new leadership and had a successful season in 2020–21, making the playoffs for the first time in years. They continued to build a competitive team, making the playoffs again in 2023 and winning their first playoff series since 2013. In 2025–26, they won the NBA Cup championship.

Season-by-season record

List of the last five seasons completed by the Knicks. For the full season-by-season history, see List of New York Knicks seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Logos and uniforms

1946–1964: Father Knickerbocker

The first logo of the New York Knicks showed a character named "Father Knickerbocker" dribbling a basketball. It used the team's blue and orange colors. The home uniforms were white with blue and orange trim, while the away uniforms were blue with orange and white trim.

1964–1992: Classic roundball

The Knicks introduced a famous logo showing the word "Knicks" over a basketball. This logo lasted for many years with small changes. The uniforms were updated with new lettering styles and added details like side stripes.

1968–1979; 1983–1997: Championship era uniforms

The Knicks wore special uniforms during their championship seasons in 1970 and 1973. These uniforms had the city name "NEW YORK" in orange lettering and featured the player's name in a unique style.

1979–1983: Crimson red era uniforms

For a few years, the Knicks changed their colors to navy and crimson red. The home uniforms had the team name below the number in crimson red with navy trim.

1992–2012: Black-accented triangle

The Knicks updated their logo again, adding a silver triangle accent. They also introduced black as an accent color and created new uniform designs.

2012–present: Modified triangle

The Knicks changed their logo once more, removing black from the color scheme. They brought back designs inspired by their championship era uniforms and added gray as an accent color.

Special uniforms

The Knicks have worn special uniforms for events like Noche Latina and St. Patrick's Day. These uniforms often use different colors and designs to celebrate special occasions.

Throwback uniforms

The Knicks have worn special throwback uniforms to honor important moments in their history, like the team's 50th and 75th anniversaries. These uniforms recreate designs from earlier eras of the team.

Personnel

The New York Knicks have many important players and a rich history. Some players have had their numbers retired, showing they were very special to the team. These players are honored forever by the Knicks.

Many great Knicks players have been chosen to play in the NBA All-Star Game, a big game with the best players from around the league. Here are some of those players:

• Vince Boryla
• Harry Gallatin
• Dick McGuire
• Max Zaslofsky
• Carl Braun
• Nathaniel Clifton
• Richie Guerin
• Willie Naulls
• Ken Sears
• Johnny Green
• Tom Gola
• Len Chappell
• Willis Reed
• Dick Barnett
• Dave DeBusschere
• Walt Frazier
• Bill Bradley
• Earl Monroe
• Bob McAdoo
• Bill Cartwright
• Micheal Ray Richardson
• Bernard King
• Patrick Ewing
• Mark Jackson
• Charles Oakley
• John Starks
• Allan Houston
• Latrell Sprewell
• David Lee
• Amar'e Stoudemire
• Carmelo Anthony
• Tyson Chandler
• Kristaps Porziņģis
• Julius Randle
• Jalen Brunson
• Karl-Anthony Towns

Staff

Management

Steve Mills was the team's general manager and president in the 2013–14 season. After that, Phil Jackson became president, but he left in 2017. Scott Perry then became the new general manager.

Head coaches

Main article: List of New York Knicks head coaches

Franchise leaders

The New York Knicks have had many great players. Here are the top players who scored the most points for the team:

1. Patrick Ewing (23,665 points)
2. Walt Frazier (14,617 points)
3. Willis Reed (12,183 points)
4. Allan Houston (11,165 points)
5. Carl Braun (10,449 points)
6. Richie Guerin (10,392 points)
7. Carmelo Anthony (10,186 points)
8. Earl Monroe (9,679 points)
9. Dick Barnett (9,442 points)
10. Bill Bradley (9,217 points)

There are also many other important statistics for the team, shown in tables below.

Individual awards

The New York Knicks have had many players and coaches win important basketball awards. Some of these awards are the NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year. Players like Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, and Carmelo Anthony have been praised for their great skills and teamwork.

Other awards the Knicks have won are the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Most Improved Player. Coaches such as Red Holzman and Pat Riley have also won the NBA Coach of the Year award. These awards show the talent and good sportsmanship the Knicks have had over the years.

Rivalries

Boston Celtics

Main article: Knicks–Celtics rivalry

The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks are two of the oldest teams in the NBA, starting in 1946. They compete because of the rivalry between New York City and Boston, like the Yankees–Red Sox and Jets–Patriots. The teams have played each other nine times in the playoffs. The last time was in the 2012–13 season, when the Knicks won their first Atlantic Division title since 1994.

Brooklyn Nets

Main article: Knicks–Nets rivalry

The Brooklyn Nets are the Knicks' closest rival because both teams are in New York City—the Knicks in Manhattan and the Nets in Brooklyn. This rivalry is like other New York sports rivalries, such as the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The Knicks and Nets have played in the playoffs three times, and the Knicks won two of those games.

Chicago Bulls

Main article: Knicks–Bulls rivalry

The Knicks have a famous rivalry with the Chicago Bulls, especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s when both teams were very good. Famous players like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, and John Starks made these games exciting. After a break in the 2000s, the rivalry started again when new stars joined both teams.

Indiana Pacers

Main article: Knicks–Pacers rivalry

The rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers began in 1993 and became very intense. They played in the playoffs six times between 1993 and 2000. The rivalry had exciting games and famous moments, including meetings in the 2013 NBA playoffs and the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Miami Heat

Main article: Knicks–Heat rivalry

The Miami Heat are strong rivals of the New York Knicks, especially from 1997 to 2000 when they met in the playoffs each year. The Heat and Knicks each won two of those playoff series. They met again in the 2012 NBA playoffs, with the Heat winning that series before going on to win the 2012 NBA Finals.