New York Knicks owner James Dolan has come under quite a bit of fire lately.
The latest criticism comes from renowned filmmaker and Knicks superfan Spike Lee:
"Mr. Dolan does not make it easy for me to be a Knicks fan."
—Spike Lee pic.twitter.com/jE0Xa6YB5z
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 11, 2020
Lee also likened Dolan's initial silence on the death of George Floyd to President Donald Trump's failure to condemn white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, VA in 2017.
Via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:
“That sounds like the guy in the White House commenting on what happened in Charlottesville, that there were good guys on both sides,” Lee said Thursday on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“For me, that’s the same thing. That’s the same mentality.”
Dolan previously sent an internal memo to MSG employees, saying the organization — as an entertainment group — was not qualified to make any sort of statement.
But Knicks players and coaches were reportedly outraged by the team's inactivity, and the team subsequently issued a statement on Tuesday. The damage might have been done with the internal memo, however, not to mention the fact the Knicks were the last NBA team to issue a statement. Plus, it was a rather weak statement.
It might not be much of a coincidence Lee compared Dolan to Trump. After all, the Knicks owner offered immense financial support to Trump in the past, and reportedly planned to pledge more dollars to his reelection campaign as far back as 2018.
Dolan has often been the subject of criticism for his handling of the Knicks, and his hesitancy to speak on matters of social speaks volumes to Lee and likely plenty others.
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