NEED TO KNOW
- Famed director and New York Knicks fan Spike Lee wrote on Instagram that he plans to wear a jersey signed by Pope Leo XIV for Game 3 of the NBA Finals
- Lee had a Knicks jersey autographed by the pope last year when the two met at the Vatican
- Game 3 of the NBA Finals takes place Monday, June 8, at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Spike Lee is bringing Knicks fandom from on high to Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The director and famed New York Knicks fan, 69, shared on Instagram that he’ll be wearing a Knicks jersey autographed by Pope Leo XIV as the team looks to take a three-game lead against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, June 8, at Madison Square Garden.
“P🏀PE LE🏀 And I, November 15th,2025 At Vatican City. I Will Be Rockin’ A Number 14 Knicks Jersey He Signed For Me. 🙏🏾🏀💙SKIES,” Lee wrote in his social media post Monday, which included a clip of him meeting Pope Leo XIV and holding up the jersey together.
Pope Leo XIV has made headlines for his love of sports since his nomination in 2025, most notably being a Chicago sports fan after growing up in the south suburbs of the city.
The Do the Right Thing director is a constant presence on the Knicks’ sideline, among the team’s most loyal and famous fans. When he’s not sitting courtside, Lee is often posting on social media in support of his favorite team.
“I would give up an Academy Award, Oscar, for the Knicks to win a championship,” Lee told Inside the NBAlast season as the team made one of its deepest playoff runs in modern history. The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Indiana Pacers in six.
This season, the Knicks have cruised through the NBA Playoffs, winning 13 games in a row heading into Monday night’s Game 3 — the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since Game 5 of the 1999 NBA Finals, when the Knicks coincidentally lost to the Spurs.
The Knicks last won the NBA Finals in 1973 when the team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers to win its only championship.
Led by star guard Jalen Brunson and beloved forward Karl-Anthony Towns, this year’s Knicks squad has garnered the attention of seemingly everyone in New York City – including a growing list of celebrity fans crowding the sidelines for the team’s playoff run.
Actor Timothée Chalamet and girlfriend Kylie Jenner, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe and Tracy Morgan have been among the celebrities who have joined Lee courtside to cheer on the Knicks. President Donald Trump is also reportedly set to make an appearance at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
Some tickets for Monday night’s game have sold for more than six-figures, PEOPLE reported last week.
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One Madison Square Garden regular, Jesse Derris, told Bloomberg last week that he checked a third-party site just to see what his two tickets in the 100 section could net.
“It would be hard to contemplate,” Derris, 45, told the website about selling his tickets. “To me, it’s priceless. There’s nothing that would make me miss the games.”
Read the original article on People
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