One of the most surprising moments of the NBA Finals came from Knicks owner James Dolan, whose pre-playoff speech to the team recently surfaced on an episode of The Roommates Show, hosted by Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Matt Hillman.
Addressing the team before an April shootaround, Dolan urged players to fully commit themselves to the pursuit of a championship.
His message centered around sacrifice, discipline and maximizing every possible advantage during what would become a 10-week journey through the postseason.
“It’s not a long time,” Dolan said. “Sacrifice everything you got these next 10 weeks to win that championship.”
Dolan challenged players to focus on the details that often separate champions from everyone else, including sleep, recovery and nutrition. But it was one particular suggestion that immediately grabbed attention.
“I had this idea that maybe you should give up sex for the next 10 weeks,” the Knicks owner said. “You don’t have to give up sex for the next 10 weeks — BUT — like the Spartans, you know what Spartans are? They denied themselves, right? So that they can have an edge. Get the edge.”
Whether Dolan was entirely serious remains open to interpretation, but he continued to explain his reasoning to the team.
“Go home, talk to your wives and tell them,” he added. “Don’t tell them you’re not gonna have sex, don’t tell ’em it was my idea. But let them know what this is gonna be like, what your commitment is gonna be like, and how they’re gonna have to sacrifice too.”
The speech has quickly become one of the more memorable behind-the-scenes stories from New York’s championship season.
Not everyone in the organization was convinced they could follow through on Dolan’s advice, however.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown admitted as much during a conversation with The New York Post’s Steve Serby.
“There was no way that I could get that done.” Brown also recalled trying to keep a straight face while listening to the speech. “When he said that, I was like, ‘Mike, hold yourself together. Do not fall out. Focus on his words. Focus on his words. Try to keep this as serious as you can. And let’s see how it plays out with the players.'”
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