For the New York Knicks, heat checks occur on and off the court.
Familiarity breeds contempt, albeit in the most humorous way possible for Manhattan’s top players. Good-natured teasing can be expected with four players from the same college basketball team all wearing blue and orange, and Villanova’s contingent of Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart has been more than willing to fill the comedy quota. Another former Wildcat joins the group this time around alongside Knicks veterans from outside the Main Line like Julius Randle.
Hart, widely regarded as the Knicks’ comedic leader, had a chance to explain how “roasting” partly makes the Knicks tick when he and Brunson participated in a Knicks-themed panel at Fanatics Fest, an interactive sports convention at Manhattan’s Javits Center. Asked by emcee Kazeem Famuyide about the camaraderie that has developed in Manhattan in such a short time, Hart joked that humor leads to heart as the Knicks look to end a long championship drought.
“It just means we have a real friendship and a real love for each other. When you have that off the field, it translates,” Hart said. “It all started with JB. He put it all on himself and we all supported him. I wish him and Randle lots of love for starting this. It shows how much love we have for each other.”
Knicks fans were equally appreciative of Hart’s comedic and on-court prowess: He averaged a career-best 8.3 rebounds per game in his first full season in Manhattan and increased that to 10.6 when he replaced the injured Randle in the starting lineup.
The upcoming season will be the third since the Villanova reunion project unofficially began with Brunson arriving on a four-year, $104 million contract in the summer of 2022. Hart was acquired in a deal at the trade deadline that followed, while DiVincenzo arrived in the offseason that followed. The latest gem, Bridges, was added in a rare trade with the Brooklyn Nets earlier this summer.
In the meantime, Hart has continued to hone his comedic chops on platforms like “The Roommates Show,” the web series he hosts with Brunson that heavily showcases the close friendship they shared at Nova. The two took center stage at Fanatics Fest after their panel, welcoming NFL legend Tom Brady, rapper Lil Wayne and viral personality IShowSpeed to their mics.
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