The New York Knicks may have set a precedent for the rest of the league by their refusal to raise a banner for winning the 2025 NBA Cup. According to insider Chris Haynes, the Los Angeles Lakers — who did raise a banner at Crypto.com Arena after capturing the inaugural NBA Cup — could follow in the Knicks’ footsteps.
“I think the Lakers might remove that banner now,” Haynes told SiriusXM’s “NBA Radio” podcast on Wednesday.
Haynes added that the Lakers were initially reluctant to raise the in-season tournament banner, but did so to help instill prestige in the NBA’s latest passion project.
“They didn’t want to put it up,” Haynes reported. “And now that the Knicks are holding this stance, the Lakers will be like, ‘Listen, we didn’t want to do that. We compromised. We got this long banner up there we never wanted, we’re gonna take it down.’”
Lakers, Bucks Raised Banners
The Milwaukee Bucks took a cue from the Lakers and raised a banner when they won the second edition of the NBA Cup last year.
That wasn’t a coincidence, reckons Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who feels Lakers governor Jeanie Buss was forced to hang a banner — next to 17 NBA championship banners — to ensure others “fall in line” and acknowledge the NBA Cup’s prestige.
“100%, yes,” Miller said of the Lakers being forced to hang an NBA Cup banner.
“I think it came down from the top. Yes. I think commissioner Silver talked to the Buss family and said, ‘Hang this banner, because everyone else will fall in line.’ Milwaukee has done it. They won last year.”
At the time, LeBron James and other Lakers praised the organization for the move.
“I think it’s awesome,” James said. “To be able to acknowledge wins throughout the course of a marathon, I think that’s pretty cool. That’s the first, the inauguration of it. We were able to win it. So, for our fans that didn’t get an opportunity to be in Vegas, they got an opportunity to kind of share that celebration with us tonight, share that moment, something that will live on forever for sure here. So, it was a good moment.”
Knicks Face Backlash for Move
With the Knicks not “falling in line,” several analysts have criticized the James Dolan-owned organization for being rebels and undermining the value of the NBA Cup. Kendrick Perkins believes the Knicks, who last won an NBA championship in 1973, had not earned the right to “reject” a title victory.
“Who are the Knicks?” Kendrick Perkins fumed on “NBA Today” on Wednesday. “…You have the audacity to reject something? What have you won? This is a bad look for the league, and a bad look for the Knicks.
“We all have to get on the same page. The in-season tournament has been a success.”
Brian Windhorst said he was not surprised by the decision, citing James Dolan’s proclivity to “go against the grain.”
“I think any of the other 29 teams would hang that banner,” Windhorst said. “Even if it feels awkward and new, it’s about embracing and celebrating something.”
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