"I'd give up an Academy Award": Superfan Spike Lee says he'd trade an Oscar for a New York Knicks championship, Charles Barkley roasts with one-liner
Hollywood legend and veteran
Spike Lee
has two Oscars to his credit, but he is ready to give up one for the New York Knicks' championship this year.
On the night the New York Knicks faced elimination in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, the stakes at Madison Square Garden were sky-high.
Courtside, legendary filmmaker and lifelong Knicks superfan Spike Lee was back in his usual seat, rallying his team with unmatched passion.
As the Knicks trailed 3-1 in the series, Lee's emotional investment reached new heights in a pre-game interview that quickly became a viral moment.
New York Knicks' championship over an Oscar? Spike Lee says yes
Ahead of the must-win matchup, Spike Lee joined
TNT
's Inside the NBA crew to talk hoops, heartbreak, and hope. When asked by Ernie Johnson if he'd be satisfied with the Knicks simply reaching this stage of the playoffs, Lee responded with a bold declaration of fandom, 'I would give up an Academy Award.
Oscar, for the Knicks to win a championship.'
The comment, delivered straight-faced, stunned the panel, especially coming from a man who's built a legendary career in Hollywood. Lee, who won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman in 2019 and received an honorary Oscar in 2016, didn't flinch. For him, a Knicks championship would be worth more than any golden statue and one of the greatest honors in cinematic brilliance.
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That's when
Charles Barkley
pounced with a trademark zinger, 'Well, you're gonna keep 'em.'
The studio erupted in laughter as Lee chuckled at the shot. Barkley's dry delivery landed like a punchline he'd been saving for years, and with good reason. The Knicks haven't won an NBA title since 1973. While New York has managed to make its way back to the conference finals for the first time since 2000, it's been decades since they've seriously contended for a ring.
Also Read:
"HE GOTTA GO" - Frustrated New York Knicks fans demand firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau after Game 4 loss
As Barkley has often reminded Knicks fans, and now Spike Lee directly, the road to glory for New York is full of potholes and, of course, the Pacers.
Still, if loyalty were enough to win championships, the Knicks might already have a few more banners hanging. Lee, who's been a fixture at MSG for decades, continues to ride for his team, Oscars in hand and hope in heart.
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