Having spent the first four seasons of his colorful NBA career with the Orlando Magic , legendary center Shaquille O'Neal had the opportunity to face off against the New York Knicks on their home floor inside the famed Madison Square Garden many times.
While the amenities that Mecca provides to fans are nothing compared to the state-of-the-art bells and whistles found at the Intuit Dome and the Chase Center, Shaq knows the building is not what makes the Knicks one of the most popular teams in the entire world.
It's the fans.
Loyal to a fault, Knicks fans have been a long-suffering bunch. The wait for another title has been 53 years in the making, and with the Larry O'Brien trophy just four wins away, the City That Never Sleeps has been buzzing to host its very first NBA Finals game since 1999.
Shaq, though, knows that whichever team comes out of the Western Conference must learn how to deal with the passionate Knicks fans—a fanbase that has stayed right by the team's side through thick and thin.
According to Shaq, what sets the New York fanbase apart from the rest is their ardent belief that they will win it all every season. It didn't matter if their best player was Carmelo Anthony or Emmanuel Mudiay ; nobody could convince them to get off their high horse.
"Well, Knicks fans think they're going to win every year, and they're loyal. They never switch up," Diesel said . "Ever since I've been going up against the great Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson and the great Charles Oakley, they always said, 'We're going to win. We're going to win. We're going to win.'"
"And then when they lose, they go, 'Okay, don't worry about it. We'll get them next year. We'll get them next year. We'll get them next year,'" he continued.
Well, this year could really be the year the Knicks win it all and Shaq is excited to be there to witness it.
"I'm happy for New York. I'm happy we're going to be covering the Finals. It's going to be great," he added. "Charles Barkley said this the other day: when the Knicks are playing great basketball, it's fun for everybody."
Shaquille believes the Knicks are capable of winning it all, even apologizing to the city of New York for not trusting their team enough to come out of the Eastern Conference. However, Shaq argued that one thing could derail the Knicks at the start of the 2026 NBA Finals: their long break.
The Knicks booked their ticket to the NBA Finals on May 25 after sweeping the hapless Cleveland Cavaliers , 4-0. With Game 1 of the finals tipping off on June 3, it means the Knicks will start the series without having played a game in over a week. And with rhythm being so crucial in the postseason, Shaq says the Knicks must find a way to keep their competitive edge.
"The only thing I fear — but not really, because I always enjoyed it when we got five or six days off — is that they have nine or ten days off," Shaq stated. "Being in New York, hopefully they don't get too happy because the mission is not accomplished."
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
