{"id":762252,"date":"2026-06-16T06:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/762252\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T06:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:03:14","slug":"new-york-knicks-owner-james-dolan-urged-players-to-abstain-from-sex-during-title-run-new-york-knicks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/762252\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Knicks owner James Dolan urged players to abstain from sex during title run | New York Knicks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Knicks\u2019 first NBA championship in 53 years may have been built on many things: Jalen Brunson\u2019s brilliance<\/a>, Mike Brown\u2019s steady hand<\/a>, a suffocating defense and a healthy roster when it mattered most.<\/p>\n

According to much-maligned team owner James Dolan<\/a>, it may also have required a little self-denial.<\/p>\n

A video released Monday by the Roommates Show podcast<\/a> revealed that Dolan urged Knicks players to consider abstaining from sex during what he anticipated would be a 10-week march to an NBA title, part of a broader appeal for sacrifice delivered shortly before the playoffs began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had this idea that maybe you should give up sex for the next 10 weeks,\u201d Dolan told players during a surprise speech to the team on 3 April. \u201cThe Spartans, they denied themselves, right, so they can have an edge. Get the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The remarks came as part of a lengthy address in which Dolan implored the team to seize what he described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to end one of the longest championship droughts in North American sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis team can win it all,\u201d Dolan said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if you understand what it would mean for you to win the championship this year. It would be life-changing for all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, the Knicks had five regular-season games remaining. They would go on to win four of them before resting starters in the finale, then storm through the postseason with a 16-3 record, defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games to capture the franchise\u2019s first title since 1973.<\/p>\n

Dolan\u2019s comments have quickly become the most discussed portion of the speech, though the owner framed the suggestion as part of a wider message about commitment and discipline. He urged players to improve their diets, prioritize sleep and eliminate distractions during the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a long time,\u201d Dolan said. \u201cSacrifice everything you\u2019ve got these next 10 weeks to win that championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Knicks owner also acknowledged that any championship pursuit would require buy-in from players\u2019 families.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo home, talk to your wives,\u201d Dolan said. \u201cDon\u2019t tell them it was my idea. But let them know what this commitment is going to be like, and how they\u2019re going to have to sacrifice too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were a little surprised, but the words hit,\u201d a source told SNY.<\/p>\n

Whether any Knicks players followed Dolan\u2019s advice remains unclear. One person who apparently did not was head coach Mike Brown.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the New York Post after the video surfaced, Brown said he had no intention of implementing the owner\u2019s recommendation in his own household.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no way that I could get that done,\u201d Brown told the Post.<\/p>\n

The speech was delivered during Brown\u2019s first season in charge after replacing Tom Thibodeau, a controversial coaching change<\/a> that Dolan also addressed during the meeting. He told players that Knicks leadership believed the roster was talented enough to compete for a title but needed a more collaborative approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Knicks\u2019 first NBA championship in 53 years may have been built on many things: Jalen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":762253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,6],"class_list":["post-762252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-basketball","tag-nba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116758275924662342","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/762253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}