Knicks owner James Dolan’s joke about giving up sex during the NBA playoffs has been revealed.
“I had this idea that maybe you should give up sex for the next 10 weeks,” Dolan told the Knicks before the playoffs on Apr. 3. “You don’t have to give up sex for the next 10 weeks, but like Spartans — do you know what Spartans are? — they denied themselves to gain an edge. Get the edge.”
The joke was part of a 15-minute surprise speech Dolan gave to the Knicks about making sacrifices to end the Knicks’ 53-year title drought.
Dolan, who oversaw the Knicks in 1999, told players to tell their significant others and family members about the commitment they would bring to the NBA Finals and that they, too, would need to make sacrifices to win.
“Go home, talk to your wives. Don’t tell them you’re not going to have sex, and don’t tell them it was my idea,” Dolan said. “But let them know what this is going to be like, what your commitment is going to be like.”
According to SNY, the players “were a little surprised, but the words hit.”
They were certainly memorable to at least some of them as Mikal Bridges referenced the no-sex joke during an Instagram live on Monday, calling Dolan a “savage” for the gag.
Two months removed from the speech, the sacrifices the Knicks made paid off, as they won their first NBA Finals since 1953.
“Hey, New York, I’m sorry it took so long, but here we are, and hopefully it won’t take that long again,” Dolan said.
