Former Knicks star and Sen. Bill Bradley says Trump is “second fiddle” for fans at NBA Finals Game 3
Former New York Knicks star and ex-New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley was a crucial part of the Knicks’ last championship team more than 50 years ago, and with President Trump attending the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999 on Monday night, Bradley said “he’s second fiddle” when it comes to the main attraction.
“The people are there to see these two teams play,” Bradley told CBS News’ Nikole Killion. “And what is compelling about the teams are the values they display like unselfishness, discipline, resilience, the kind of things that we need more of in our world at large.”
Bradley spent all 10 seasons of his NBA career with the Knicks, winning two titles in 1969-1970 and 1972-1973, also earning his single All-Star nod in the ’72-’73 season.
“If you think of your teammate first and yourself second, that’s an important thing that the Knicks today and the Knicks in the past demonstrate,” Bradley said when asked what makes this team similar to the ones that won those two championships. “If you’re disciplined, you’re not just flying off but you’re playing to plan; that’s another thing. So this is not rocket science. It’s what a team does if they want to be a champion. And I think this team has the makings of a champion.”
Ross Lewis
Asked what makes Madison Square Garden such a special place to play, Bradley said it’s the fans.
“They applaud the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the basket. They applaud boxing out on rebounds. They applaud the subtleties of the game,” said Bradley, who also won a gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. “And they are deeply enthusiastic and loyal and dedicated to their team, and I think you’ll see that in the arena tonight, as you have in all the other games.”
With the Knicks holding a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, Bradley didn’t call Monday night’s game a must-win for the San Antonio Spurs, but noted: “If the Knicks go in 3-0, I mean, I know I’m gonna be there on that fourth game expecting them to be crowned champions that night. And there’ll be millions of other people who will think the same thing.”
But the Hall of Famer added: “You play one game at a time.”
New York City is famously divided in most of its sports fandom, with the Yankees and Mets, Giants and Jets, and Islanders and Rangers carving up the populace. But despite the Nets’ move to Brooklyn in 2012, the Knicks still appear to have a tight grip on most of the city’s basketball fans.
“It gives them something to hope for. It gives them something to believe in,” Bradley said of the city’s devotion to a team that has been disappointing for long stretches of time. “It gives them some message that unchanging values can actually succeed — in your life and with the Knicks.”
He said the values of the team, like their discipline and resilience, “mean something in a championship team and they really can mean something in people’s lives, too.”
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After retiring from basketball, Bradley, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. Senate representing New Jersey in 1978. He served three terms before opting against running for a fourth in 1996. He also unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000. Despite his political career and Mr. Trump’s presence at the game, Bradley said playing for an NBA title is “not related to politics.”
“It’s related to excellence, and to these unchanging values, and to team. It always has been and always will,” he said. “And that’s why people always come back to it. Because we want a glimpse of what is possible. And to believe that that’s possible in our lives at large and in the world and in the country is, to me, inspiring. And so, to me, that’s what these games are all about.”
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