The New York Knicks’ championship run that ended with Saturday’s Game 5 win in San Antonio reportedly began with a deeply personal request from owner James Dolan to his players.
According to new reporting by SNY’s Ian Begley, Dolan asked them to abstain from sex during the playoffs.
While discussing the sacrifices the Knicks would need to make over the ensuing 10 weeks, Dolan jokingly asked his players to ‘avoid fornication,’ Begley wrote, adding that the message was well received.
‘They were a little surprised, but the words hit,’ one person told SNY in a report released after New York beat San Antonio, 94-90, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Knicks for comment.
The Knicks’ championship run that ended with wins in 15 of their last 16 postseason games began with a speech from owner James Dolan to his players that included one odd request
Dolan is pictured with the Larry O’Brien and Bill Russell trophies after the Knicks’ Game 5 win
It’s obviously unclear if any Knicks players followed the directive, however flippantly it may have been made. But the practice is common in other sports, particularly boxing, where some fighters believe that abstinence helps them gain an edge while conserving precious energy.
And it’s not just men.
Boxer Claressa Shields enforces a strict no-sex rules for six weeks before a fight, as she told Shannon Sharpe on his podcast. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and undefeated champion is currently in a relationship with rapper, Papoose, according to multiple reports.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pioneer Helio Gracie also urged fighters to abstain before bouts, although that practice has been challenged within the sport in recent years.
Then there is three-time NBA champion AC Green, who famously remained abstinent on religious grounds before finally marrying at age 38 following his retirement.
Of course, whether or not the Knicks actually followed Dolan’s reported directive is irrelevant now that the city is celebrating its first NBA title since 1953.
‘If tis is true they all made a baby last night that will be named Jalen,’ one fan joked, referring to Knicks captain and NBA Finals MVP, Jalen Brunson.
