Spike Lee takes his place as a superfan in the Basketball Hall of Fame – Andscape

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – When film director Spike Lee signed a green Jayson Tatum jersey for a young Boston Celtics fan, the noted New York Knicks superfan asked him, “How come he (Tatum) didn't play in the Olympics?” Why did Did he sit?”

Without batting an eyelid, the youth asked Lee, “Why didn't the Knicks play during the Olympics?”

As NBA fans in the Basketball Hall of Fame store watched and laughed, Lee smiled and said, “Hey, how old are you?”

The young Celtics fan said, “I’m 12.”

Lee, wearing a Knicks bucket hat and an orange vest over a Knicks sweatshirt, said: “I hope you're there on opening night because even though you're raising an (NBA Championship) banner, you're losing (to…). the Knicks).”

Lee, actor and LA Clippers fan Billy Crystal, Philadelphia 76ers fan Alan Horwitz and actor and Los Angeles Lakers fan Jack Nicholson (who was not in attendance) were officially inducted into the James F. Goldstein SuperFan Gallery at the Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon recorded . A Knicks jersey with “Lee” and “No. 40 inches on the back and a 1990 Knicks player contract signed by Lee were displayed in a large glass case in the SuperFan Gallery. Hours later, the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was inaugurated at nearby Symphony Hall, led by Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups.

The SuperFan Gallery honors fans for their passion and love for basketball and celebrates their unique and well-known fan base. Lee has won an Oscar, two Primetime Emmys and two Peabody Awards. He has won awards for his basketball film. He has game.

“I didn’t even know that thing existed,” Lee told Andscape. “So it was a big surprise. Things are coming up this year… I also got two (special) Oscars, so that's good.”

Lee, 67, owes his love for the Knicks to his late father Bill, a renowned jazz bassist and composer.

The Lees attended Knickerbockers games together at the third Madison Square Garden before it was torn down in 1968 and the current garden was built. Lee said he attended a crucial Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals – and missed one of his father's concerts – when the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers. He wears a necklace that features former Knicks coach Red Holzman's 1973 NBA championship ring.

“My dad was a Knicks fan who took me to the old Garden on 8th Avenue,” Lee said. “My father was a big sports fan. I inherited my love of sports from my late father. My mother was a filmmaker. This is where the film thing comes in: music, sports and cinema. My father hated Hollywood films.”

Lee, who frequently wears his Knicks gear in public, is one of the most recognizable American sports fans at home and away.

Lee talks about opposing players while standing in excitement during games. He exudes passion when the Knicks win and shows pain when they lose. Lee also had a rivalry and ongoing feud with then-Indiana Pacers star guard and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller during six playoff showdowns. Since 1973, the Knicks have been to the NBA Finals just twice, losing to the Houston Rockets in 1994 and the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.

When asked if it was hard to be a loyal Knicks fan, Lee replied: “I don’t think it’s hard. It got me into the Hall of Fame here.”

During his time with the Toronto Raptors, Carter remembered playing against the Knicks in the playoffs and Lee sitting on the sidelines talking nonsense.

“When you argued with Spike Lee, you made it,” Carter said. “I played well in the regular season (against New York). I remember Spike saying at the start of the Garden in the first quarter, “No, man, this is New York!” That New York, boy. We don't do that here.' Is he talking to me? I had some back and forth with him, especially the second time.

“We got swept the first time. I don't want to talk about that. Let's talk about the second time. I just remember that Spike Lee could stand up and talk nonsense and if you force him to sit down then you're doing something. I managed to do that the second time too. It’s cool to see him go in (to the Hall of Fame).”

Toronto Raptors fan Nav Bhatia told Andscape that Lee once had him moved from his seat at Madison Square Garden. Bhatia is also a member of SuperFan Gallery.

“I’m putting it in the SuperFan gallery,” Bhatia told Andscape. “He loves basketball. I remember in 2001, when we were playing in the playoffs in New York, he was talking nonsense with my husband, the VC (Carter). I sat behind them and he made them change my seat to the other side because I was also talking nonsense. And he didn't like it. But we won the game.

“But he’s a good friend of mine now. It's all good. I’m really excited about it.”

Lee attended the Hall of Fame 2024 Enshrinement Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala on Saturday evening about an hour's drive from here at Mohegan Sun Casino. Among the award winners was the NBA insider stuff Television show hosted and produced by sports commentator Ahmad Rashad. After the show was acknowledged, Lee was given the microphone and asked Rashad in front of Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Julius “Dr. J” Erving.

“The last time we won was in the 1972/73 season. Will we win? It's been over 50 years. We got a squad this year. Leon Rose is doing his thing, we have KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns), one of the best point guards in the league (Jalen Brunson), we have defense. “What will happen this year?” asked Lee.

Rashad said: “I think they win the whole thing. I think this is the right year.”

So why does Lee think the Knicks will finally win a title next season, 52 years after the last?

“I believe it. (Knicks President) Leon Rose and (Knicks Vice President) World Wide Wes (William Wesley) are doing their thing,” Lee said, pointing to his necklace. “This is Red Holzman’s world championship ring. This is the last time we won. It's been over 50 years. This is the year.”

Lee is known for attending important Knicks away games. He attended WNBA New York Liberty playoff games in Brooklyn, New York. But when the Knicks open the season on the road against the 2023 NBA champion Celtics on Oct. 22, will Lee be there?

“NO. I'm not going to Boston,” Lee said. “If it's the playoffs, I'll go. The regular season? Uh-uh.”