Knicks’ Owner James Dolan Makes Up With Spike Lee After Long Feud

Years of tension between Spike Lee and Knicks owner James Dolan finally came to an end after an emotional moment following the Knicks’ sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 130 to 93 last week. The New York Knicks are going to their first-ever finals since 1999, when they played the Spurs. They did lose in five games to the eventual dynasty Spurs with Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan. But beyond the basketball celebration with the Knicks after beating the Cavs in four games, one of the biggest storylines after the game was when Dolan personally invited Lee to join the team’s on-court celebration.

Lee has always been there for the New York Knicks, going back into the 1900s. The director was standing around the restricted VIP area on the court after the game when Dolan noticed him. The next owner repeatedly walked over and waved late into the celebration area, where the two embraced as the players and staff celebrated the Eastern Conference title. Photos of the moment quickly spread across social media.

Because it marked a dramatic shift from the highly public feud that began in 2020, in which Spike Lee accused Dolan of harassing him after being denied access through an employee entrance he claimed he had used for decades. Disagreement quickly escalated to a public war of words.

At the time, though Lee just criticized Dolan publicly and even called for a long time next owner to sell the franchise. They did have a strained relationship, but it’s good to see them hugging and out, and now many Knicks fans feel that way after years of losing and organizational instability.

Now the Knicks return to the MB finals, of course, for the first time since 1999, with celebrities such as Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan in attendance as well.


​