Spike Lee gifts Pope Leo XIV a custom Knicks jersey

Autumn Hawkins, ClutchPoints

Sun, November 16, 2025 at 4:53 PM UTC

2 min read

The post Spike Lee gifts Pope Leo XIV a custom Knicks jersey appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Spike Lee is taking the New York Knicks to the Vatican!

The Oscar-winning director and diehard Knicks fan attended an event at the Vatican, where Pope Leo XIV invited creators around the globe.

"When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges," Pope Leo XIV said. "It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express."

The He Got Game director was prepared with a custom Knicks jersey for the religious reader as he attended the event over the weekend.

"This is disrespectful af he is from Chicago!!!" one fan commented on the Knicks jersey before the Knicks official account wrote back , "He went to Villanova."

"The Nova Pope receives the gesture and blesses the Nova3," another fan wrote, referring to Pope Leo XIV attending Villanova.

"And to think that I didn't think I could love either of them any more than I already did. I was wrong," a fan gushed about Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV has been open about being a Chicago White Sox fan. He went viral over the summer when he wore a White Sox hat.

"I read something about that," White Sox manager Will Venable said in response to Pope Leo XIV donning the hat. "Yeah, I mean, it's great. I love the support. Need it."

Pope Leo XIV was elected to the papacy in May 2025 and made history as the first American Pope.

As most NBA fans know, Spike Lee is a diehard Knicks fan since attending games with his father in the 60s. Last year, he watched the Knicks make it to the Eastern Conference Finals , the first time in 25 years.

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