The history behind the New York Knicks

Image source: theringer.com

The National Basketball Association was founded on June 6, 1946, 55 years after basketball was invented. At the time, the league was composed of 30 teams, including the Knicks. But back then, they were still known as the Knickerbockers. According to long-time Knicks fan Peter Max, there is a rich history behind this beloved franchise.

Among those present during the founding of the NBA was Ned Irish, the president of Madison Square Garden and a retired sportswriter. Initially, Max Kase wanted to lease Madison Square Garden and own the New York franchise of the NBA. But with the same goal and far more resources, the franchise was awarded to Irish.

To get the ball rolling, the Irish held a staff meeting to find a name for the team. The term Knickerbockers came up, which was the pseudonym used by Washington Irving in his book, "A History of New York." They found this name fitting and began the team. Its first fixture was St. John’s University basketball coach Joe Lapchick. But according to Peter Max, Lapchick asked to stay at St. John’s for one more year before joining the team full-time.

Image source: dailyknicks.com

Because it was the first year of the NBA, there had been no subsequent college drafts of any kind. This is why the team management assembled 25 talents to attend a three-week-long boot camp. With twice a day practice, the chemistry between the players grew. Soon enough, they were ready for their first game.

According to Peter Max, the first game of the franchise, as well as the NBA, would be the Knickerbockers against the Toronto Huskies at the Maple Leaf Gardens on Nov. 1, 1946. With a score of 68-66, New York became the first team to win an NBA game.