Spike Lee Sees Pope Appointment As Sign for Knicks

Following the appointment of Pope Leo XIV, Knicks superfan Spike Lee pointed out a connection to the New York Knicks.

Apr 6, 2025; New York, New York, USA; American actor and director Spike Lee tends behind referee Andy Nagy (83) during the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Vatican has announced the end of its papal conclave after electing a new pope, Leo XIV, and director Spike Lee is taking the election as a sign from above that the Knicks will win the NBA Championship in 2025.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American to be elected to the papacy. A native of Chicago, IL, Prevost attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania. The new pope has this in common with some of Knicks' most successful current players; Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges.

On his Instagram, Lee posted a photo of the new pontiff with this caption:

"The VATICAN Voted In ROBERT FRANCIS PREVOST As Their 267th PONTIFF. He Is The 1st P0PE From The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,Born In Chicago,Illinois. And For My NEW YAWK KNICKS FANS His Alma Mater Is VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY (BRUNSON,HART And BRIDGES Won NCAA Rings At VILLANOVA)What A HOLY BLESSING. 🙏🏾THE KNICKERBOCKERS ARE G🏀-NNA WIN THE 2024-2025 NBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. IT IS DIVINITY.GOD BLESS.🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾And Dat’s Da H🏀LY TRUTH,RUTH. YA-DIG❓SHO-NUFF💜💜💜💜💜"

The director of Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman and Malcolm X is an avid fan of New York sports, particularly the New York Knicks, and his courtside interactions with the Reggie Miller in the mid-1990s at Madison Square Garden were showcased in the ESPN 30 for 30, "Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks".

Lee has been a Knicks season ticket holder since 1985, but has a much longer history of loving the team. Raised in Brooklyn, NY, one of the director's earliest and fondest memories is of watching the Knicks win their first NBA title in Game 7 of the playoffs at age 13 in 1970. He bought the net from that game at auction in 2019 and described the fond memory in a press statement following the auction.

"It was a memory I will never forget. Willis Reed coming back and the Garden went nuts. It was a very special moment in Knicks history."

Lee isn't alone with this theory, and Knicks fan Twitter is abuzz about the former Wildcat who is now the leader of the Catholic Church. Knicks Memes posted a screenshot from the new pope's Twitter account, showing that he had reposted a Tweet in 2016 describing a Villanova buzzer-beater win against UNC.

The comments section was delighted by the pope's apparent ball knowledge.

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