The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time since 1973 after their squad of often-overlooked players beat Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on Saturday night.
If Jalen Brunson (who had 45 of the Knicks’ points in the clincher), Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the tight-knit group are curious what comes next, they can look to the enduring treatment of some New York’s finest stars from five decades ago to see how winning a title in this city changes lives. Already, new deals are rolling in.
Gotham all but invented the concept of the megawatt athletic endorsement, as it was New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath who paved the way for the phenomenon of the jock who makes more cash on the side than when in uniform. Knees jellied by repeated trauma, Broadway Joe was already well into an agonizing decline when the pantyhose people reached out to his handlers in 1973 (he won his guaranteed Super Bowl four years prior).
Namath’s willingness to shill for everything from La-Z-Boy recliners to Hamilton Beach popcorn poppers to Hanes Beautymist allowed the hobbled superstar to remain the most recognizable, and bankable, athlete of the early ’70s … and his dominion over the emerging market may have played a role in keeping many of the Knicks out of the commercial spotlight.
