Filmmaker Spike Lee says he’d trade one of his Oscars to see the Knicks win it all in the NBA Finals.
“I got two. I would trade the honorary one and keep the one for screenwriting for ‘BlacKkKlansman,'” Lee said in an interview with CNN published on Thursday. “Trade that in a second.”
The filmmaker also hinted he’d be willing to pass on one more movie with longtime collaborator Denzel Washington if it meant a Knicks championship. They have worked together on five films over more than two decades.
“Well, Denzel said publicly like he only has two more films and he’s done,” Lee said.
He added that the actor probably wouldn’t take issue with his choice: “But Denzel understands why, he said already he’s retiring.”
Lee also recalled bringing Knicks jerseys to the Vatican after learning Pope Leo XIV attended Villanova University, the alma mater of three current Knicks players, including captain Jalen Brunson.
“I had two going to Vatican City. I gave him one, signed by me, and I gave him another for him to sign. It came back two months later, but it was signed,” Lee said.
A lifelong Knicks fan, Lee has been a staple at Madison Square Garden for decades.
During the Knicks’ current Finals run, Lee attended each of the first four games, making the trip to San Antonio for Games 1 and 2 before returning to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4.
In a May interview with NPR, Lee said his father began taking him to Knicks games as a child. His father’s lawyer, who held season tickets in the Garden’s yellow seats, gave him the opportunity to attend the 1970 NBA Finals.
“He said, ‘You go to the game.’ I was at the Willis Reed game slash Walt Frazier game, where the Knicks won their first NBA championship,” Lee said.
The game left such a lasting impression on Lee that he made a promise to himself. “So I said, Lord, if I ever make any money, I just want to get season tickets,” he said.
Lee went on to do exactly that. He has held New York Knicks season tickets since 1985, per ESPN. In 2024, he was recognized as a SuperFan by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The average ticket for a New York Knicks game can cost anywhere between $250 and $350, per Ticketmaster. As of Friday, StubHub listings for Saturday’s Game 5 ranged from about $1,400 to more than $35,000.
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