Knicks Owner Dolan Spoke to Team Five Games Before End of 2025-26 Regular Season

New York Knicks owner James Dolan delivered a speech to the team on April 3, 2026, five games before the end of the 2025-26 regular season. He held a piece of paper that appeared to contain notes and told the players the roster could win a championship. "This team can win it all," Dolan said.

"I don't know if you understand what it would mean for you to win the championship this year. " Dolan said failing to win would leave the players thinking about the missed opportunity for the rest of their lives, and that he would as well. He addressed the firing of coach Tom Thibodeau and the hiring of Mike Brown, who was present for the speech.

Dolan stated that he and team president Leon Rose believed the roster was good enough to win a championship. " He added that a joint effort would give the team a better shot at a title than relying on one person's opinion. Dolan referred to a 10-week playoff run and said an NBA championship would be mentioned even if a player later became President of the United States.

He urged players not to talk to reporters, to pay more attention to their diets, to sleep better, and to abstain from sex for the next 10 weeks. "The Spartans, they denied themselves, right, so they can have an edge.

Go home, talk to your wives ... don't tell them it was my idea. " The video of the speech was released on June 15, 2026, on the podcast "Roommates Show" hosted by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. The Knicks won their next four regular-season games after April 3 before sitting their starters for the final game.

The Knicks finished the 2026 playoffs with a 16-3 record, including a 13-game winning streak. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the NBA Finals for the franchise's first title since 1973.