The Knicks championship season united fans, communities and the city, bringing us all together to celebrate the end of a 53-year NBA title drought.
Despite the color of your skin, your background, neighborhood, income level, education or employer, we all came together to cheer for a team that reflected the values of New York City during its title run.
When down, they endured and persevered.
When doubted, they overcame and proved critics wrong.
And when it mattered most, they delivered and won.
Their ability to unite the most diverse city and fanbase in the world is no small feat, yet they accomplished the goal that others could not.
And that’s why they should stand united once more and decline Tr**p’s White House invitation.
How can an all-Black starting line-up visit a man who has done everything in his power (and often travel beyond the scope of it) to revoke the rights, and eliminate the accomplishments of those who look like them?
How can a team of players made up of diverse cultures travel to see a man who has instituted travel bans and who oversees and administration dedicated to blocking appointments for, and/or eliminating, Black military personnel and government employees.
And how can a team that created so much excitement, joy and celebration visit a man whose very presence divided their home arena and contributed to the end of their 13-game winning streak?
I don’t want to hear the whining of his supporters who call for unity from others but not from their great divider and corruptor, a man who has no compassion for people unless they “kiss the ring”.
And spare us the “why is everything about race” commentary for the orange one and his loyalists have made Blackness a primary target across politics, education, employment, funding and so much more.
Fans endured 53 years of heartache, pain, anger and frustration before the horrors of past seasons were finally exorcised on Saturday, June 13th.
Those are four negative qualities that Tr**p, and team owner Jim Dolan, have subjected all of us to, Knicks fan or not.
For decades, Dolan cared little for the fans.
He gave us years of poor leadership. He meddled in personnel decisions (Carmelo Anthony), made bad hiring decisions (Isiah Thomas) and allowed a toxic culture to fester in the building (Anucha Browne Sanders sexual harassment lawsuit), all of which hamstrung the franchise for years.
