It’s Orange and Blue skies all over New York City as the New York Knicks won their first NBA title since 1973.
The team and the fans celebrated on Thursday at a parade in Manhattan.
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith started his career with the Jets in 2013. When Smith first came to the Jets, the Knicks, led by Carmelo Anthony, were pretty competitive, but they couldn’t get over the hump.
Now, they’re champions. For Smith, seeing the Knicks win a title has given him a little motivation.
“Man, that’s so special,” he said on Tuesday. “Big shoutout to the Knicks, Jalen Brunson, he and his dad, that story is so cool. Just seeing the energy of the city and how the fans are just so happy and excited, they have those bragging rights to be the NBA champion, and for that to be at home in New York, I think that’s a special thing. To see the energy and just how devoted the fans are to the team and to the city, it gives us a little bit of added motivation. You know, we’re motivated already, but just watching those guys win a championship, it’s got to do something to you as a competitor.”
While Smith did not make it to any playoff games at Madison Square Garden, he said he watched the team in Philly during the postseason against the 76ers, where he received a lot of love from Jets fans.
“It was great, it was great,” he said. “Obviously, I was there, saw a lot of Jet fans as well, and they all greeted me. Everyone was positive. Took a lot of pictures. It was just great for me to immerse myself back into the community, and I want to continue to do that. I want to be not just the quarterback of the team, but I want to be a part of this community again, and I want to make sure that that’s something that I’m doing, and so just being around the fans and being amongst them, you can just feel the energy, and it was all positive. That was great stuff.”
On paper, the Jets, who last won a Super Bowl in 1969, which is 57 years ago, don’t appear close to winning a championship in 2026, but hey, anything is possible.
