Topline<\/p>\n
Knicks owner James Dolan seemingly took shots at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani while speaking after him during the ticker-tape parade and rally at City Hall on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Knicks owner previously sparred with the mayor and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch over a cancelled watch party at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
Kevin Mazur\/Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
During his speech, Mamdani praised the team\u2019s history, shouting out former players<\/a> like Charles Oakley\u2014a fan-favorite former Knick who has been involved in a legal dispute<\/a> with Dolan since a fight over his courtside seats in 2017.<\/p>\n Speaking after Mamdani, Dolan told the crowd, “I don’t need your vote,\u201d adding, \u201cI don’t need to quote to you what happened. If you’re real Knicks fans you know it already.”<\/p>\n Dolan also appeared to avoid getting too close<\/a> to Mamdani when the mayor handed him a key to the city, accepting the key and shaking his hand from across a table, as if he were trying to avoid a photo op.<\/p>\n Earlier on Wednesday, Dolan said the team would accept the invitation<\/a> to visit the White House, calling Trump a friend he\u2019s known for decades, although details on the event and which players would attend remain sparse at this time.<\/p>\n Forbes Valuation<\/p>\n Dolan, an heir to Cablevision founder Charles Dolan<\/a>, has served as the executive chair of Madison Square Garden Sports, the holding company that owns the Knicks and the New York Rangers, since 1999. The Dolan family fortune, divided between James and five siblings\u2019s families, Forbes estimates to be about $7 billion<\/a>, and Forbes estimates<\/a> the Knicks are worth about $9.75 billion, making them the third-most valuable team in the league. <\/p>\n Surprising Fact<\/p>\n Dolan took over the business in 1999\u2014the last year the Knicks made the NBA finals until their recent victory last week. His tenure as owner has been rocky, earning him the ire of Knicks fans for years. Chants of \u201csell the team\u201d were once common\u2014which Dolan responded to by allegedly targeting angry fans with Madison Square Garden\u2019s controversial surveillance apparatus, Wired<\/a> reported earlier this year.<\/p>\n Dolan\u2019s Feud With Mamdani<\/p>\n Dolan previously invited the president to watch the team in the finals, and Trump attended Game Three<\/a> in New York, which prompted the city to shut down foot traffic around the venue and cancel an outdoor watch party. When the city extended those restrictions around the Garden for game four, both Dolan and Mamdani blamed one another<\/a> for the cancelled watch party\u2014with Dolan takin<\/a>g to New York area sports radio network WFAN and issuing a press release<\/a> calling the mayor and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch the city\u2019s \u201cbiggest party poopers.\u201d<\/p>\n The First NBA Team to Visit Trump\u2019s White House?<\/p>\n Few details have been announced, but Dolan confirmed the team received an invitation to visit Trump and the White House. \u201cHe is a friend, I\u2019ve known him for 30 years, and I\u2019m very proud to bring the team to the White House,\u201d Dolan told WFAN<\/a> on Wednesday. This would be the first NBA championship team to visit the White House while Trump is in office. Trump has frequently been at odds with the NBA during his two terms in office, with big stars like Stephen Curry<\/a> and LeBron James<\/a> refusing invites during his first term in office. After attending Game Three, Trump praised the league as \u201cgreat entertainment,\u201d despite calling it \u201ca little left wing.\u201d Dolan himself has also recently spent time at Trump\u2019s White House. The Knicks owner was recently seen attending UFC Freedom 250, the mixed martial arts competition staged on the White House lawn on Sunday\u2014on Trump\u2019s 80th birthday, and the day after the Knicks won the championship.<\/p>\n