One Long Island kid\u2019s hoop dream became a timeless hoop theme.<\/p>\n
In 1993, recent college grad and die-hard Knicks fan Jesse Itzler had a dream of writing his favorite team\u2019s theme song.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was born a Knicks fan and always loved their grit,\u201d the New Yorker, 56, reminisced of the team\u2019s golden age, with legends like Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks featured on the posters of every sports fan\u2019s bedroom wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had an idea to write a song that would get people in the Garden chanting during a timeout,\u201d Itzler told The Post on the eve of the Knicks\u2019 return to the Eastern Conference finals, noting the hunger for higher energy at the time. \u201cAt NBA games, all of a sudden, there were Knicks City Dancers and entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uber Knicks fan Jesse Itzler dreamed of creating a theme song for the team. \u201cMy life has taken a crazy turn since then,\u201d he told The Post. @jesseitzler\/instagram<\/p>\n
The rising rapper, who went by the stage name Jesse Jaymes in the early 90s, and future entrepreneurial legend who went on to marry Spanx founder, Sara Blakely, knew this was his one shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018So many people tell me, \u201cThat was the soundtrack of my 90s\u201d\u2026 It lasting more than 30 years is unbelievable.\u2019<\/p>\n
Jesse Itzler<\/p>\n
Inside the closet of his 300-square-foot NYC walk-up he shared with a roommate, he began recording the lyrics of the catchy and enduring anthem: \u201cGo New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cassette in hand, he scored a meeting with Knicks bigwigs \u2014 including then-president Dave Checketts and executive Ernie Grunfeld \u2014 and the short demo won them over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After making some adjustments in time for that year\u2019s All-Star game, the iconic \u201cGo New York\u201d was born.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The paycheck was a cool $4,000 \u2014 enough to cover his $350 monthly rent for a year, with pizza money left over \u2014 but as Itzler said, \u201cI would have paid them $10,000 just to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Itzler is shown in a 1992 photo to promote his musical ambitions. @jesseitzler\/instagram<\/p>\n
Itzler, pictured here in 2015, went on to craft the Knicks\u2019 enduring theme song.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took a while to get going \u2014 the first couple of games, no one really knew what was really going on,\u201d he recalled, adding the anthem was being promoted on towels for the erstwhile electronics giant Nobody Beats the Wiz.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the 75-second song, which Itzler tweaked every year over the first decade with guest features including Q-Tip, Mobb Deep, Ed Lover, DJ Skribble and Angie Martinez, ultimately won over fans.<\/p>\n
And once it became a radio staple with New Yorkers addicted to the catchy tune, \u201cit was game over.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
At 23, Itzler was thrilled to score \u201clike two bleacher seats\u201d to enjoy the fruits of his labor echo throughout the iconic stadium, which was \u201ctotally fine\u201d with the starstruck fan. \u201cI just wanted to be in the arena.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, more than 30 years later, he pays full freight for his courtside season tix \u2014 no celebrity row for him \u2014 and still maintains that he would have paid the team out of his own pocket back then just to get that shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life has taken a crazy turn since then,\u201d said the entrepreneur, extreme endurance athlete and best-selling author. \u201cI\u2019ve had some big wins \u2014 but that was the start of everything for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, even after building five companies, his one staple is Knicks love.<\/p>\n
Writing that song was a highlight of his life \u2014 up until that point and ever since. Aside from his wedding and the births of his four kids, the Knicks song is \u201cone of the three biggest moments in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many people tell me, \u2018That was the soundtrack of my 90s,\u201d he said with pride. \u201cThe return on investment isn\u2019t $4,000 \u2014 it\u2019s being connected to that team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The longevity of the anthem is all about the fans, Itzler said. \u201cThere\u2019s no promotion behind it \u2014 there\u2019s not even a record out. It\u2019s all fan-generated.\u201d<\/p>\n
He only made $4,000 for the short track, but as Itzler told The Post, \u201cI would have paid them $10,000 just to use it.\u201d @jesseitzler\/instagram<\/p>\n
Hearing people chant it on the street still blows him away, adding that playing a small part in the unifying power of New York\u2019s favorite basketball team still gives him chills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Knicks are the major glue to the city \u2013 they bring together all walks of life, boroughs, demographics, colors and religions,\u201d he mused. \u201cAnd the song is a part of that \u2014 it\u2019s crazy.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
His \u201cbiggest thrill\u201d is when he hears the anthem chanted outside the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing when people sing it at the Garden, but not as amazing as when people sing it on the streets. That\u2019s a real moment,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Itzler (wearing blue bandana) watches game action next to fitness entrepreneur Devon L\u00e9vesque (in cowboy hat) during the Knicks\u2019 playoffs game against the Boston Celtics last Friday. Charles Wenzelberg \/ New York Post<\/p>\n
Itzler sits next to Jay-Z for a matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks in 2022. Itzler is an owner of the Hawks. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n