Spike Lee Would Trade an Oscar for a Knicks Title

Filmmaker Spike Lee, a Knicks season-ticket holder since 1985, said he would trade one of his two Academy Awards for a New York championship.

"I got two. I would trade the honorary one and keep the other," Lee said in an interview. The director won an honorary Oscar in 2015 and a competitive Oscar for best adapted screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman" in 2019.

The Knicks have not won an NBA title since 1973. They last reached the Finals in 1999, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. New York enters the current season with a roster built around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, aiming to end a 50-year championship drought.

Lee, 67, has been a fixture at Madison Square Garden for nearly four decades, often sitting courtside. His fandom has been a recurring theme in his films, including "Do the Right Thing" and "He Got Game."