Knicks Being Urged To Not Give Celebrity Fans Championship Rings

The Knicks finally ended their 53-year drought without an NBA title win by defeating the San Antonio Spurs. But as the players prepare to receive their rings, some have called for certain celebrity supporters - specifically, director and superfan Spike Lee - to get a ring of their own to mark the occasion.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is one of several big names that have been calling for Lee in particular to receive a ring for their decades of dedication to the team. Lee has been a Knicks fan for 60 years and believes he's invested millions in his own money into seeing the team every night.

But there's some pushback on the idea. Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports did an entire column arguing that "Celebrity Superfans" shouldn't receive rings and that those should be exclusively reserved for players, coaches and front office staff.

"Enough already with 'Celebrity Superfans' making Knicks title about themselves. No, Spike Lee should not get his own Knicks championship ring. They should be reserved for players, coaches + front office staff," McCarthy wrote on X.

The Debate Begins

Some fans have argued that the celebrity superfans don't deserve special treatment while others believe that certain fans (and Spike Lee in particular) are special enough to deserve a little extra:

"Anyone who disagrees with this would be the 1st person yelling on social media if Kim Kardashian or other celebs got a ring. I'm a Knicks fan, celebs absolutely do not deserve a ring... nor do fmr players as a 'kind gesture.' We just handing out rings like Oprah handing out cars now? Come on ppl," one user argued.

"Championship teams recognizing one fan as a representative of the entire fan base should be made a tradition and bestowing the honor of a ring as an acknowledgement to the support of the diehards make sense, to me," wrote another.

"I'm actually okay with all the celebrity stuff. It's very clear that basically all the ones we're seeing (save for a few exceptions) are all genuine die-hards. Their emotions and reactions are stand-ins for the team's fans. All this makes sense to me," a third wrote.

"On this topic, we can skip Ewing, Starks, and any other ex-player. It's all cartoonish."

"I get this, but I'm for exceptions. Every team & city has its culture and if it were to happen, it's a cool way to embrace popular longstanding supporters."

"It's really stupid to be angry about something so insignificant to your personal life."

The Knicks have changed a lot of things with their title win on Saturday. But fans still remain as divided as ever over every little thing.

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 4:56 PM.