There is no love lost between Reggie Miller and the New York Knicks. Recently, the Indiana Pacers legend appeared on The Mark Jackson Show and discussed his animosity towards the Knicks with Jackson, who played for the Knicks from 1987-1992, and again from 2000-2002.
Reggie Miller and the Knicks have a long history of animosity
Miller’s rivalry with the Knicks dates back decades when his Pacers met the Knicks in the playoffs six times between 1993 and 2000. As a player, Miller was seen as public enemy No. 1 in New York, not only due to his play on the court, but also due to the frequent incidents between him and the Knicks’ passionate fanbase.
“This is why I cannot stand the Knicks, because to me they’re frontrunners,” said Miller. “They think that they’re God’s gift to basketball.”
From scoring eight points in nine seconds to defeat the Knicks in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals, to his infamous bout with Spike Lee in which Miller gave Lee a choking gesture, Miller’s history with the Knicks runs deep.
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The rivalry between Miller and the Knicks still has smoke today
Despite Reggie Miller retiring as a player in 2005, his rivalry with the Knicks has stayed strong even in today’s game, including an incident during the playoffs last month.
In the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Knicks and Pacers met in the second round. Miller was in the building for Game 2, working as an analyst on TNT’s broadcast of the game. With the Knicks winning in the final minute, loud chants of “F-you Reggie” broke out in groves at Madison Square Garden. This then prompted Knicks F Josh Hart to walk over to Miller, and relay what the fans were chanting to him. The exchange between the two was heard on the broadcast.
“Where gasoline was poured on it is when Josh came over to me,” said Miller. “I don’t think there was anything malicious. I think he was trying to be funny, you know? But for him to, again, pour gasoline on it saying, because all you heard on the mic was him saying, F you. So people thought that he just came over to me and said, F you, which wasn’t the case.”
Miller proudly trolled Knicks fans following New York’s playoff defeat to the Pacers
Miller shared his reaction to the Knicks being eliminated by the Pacers last month, and how he took the opportunity to take yet another dig at the Knicks’ fanbase.
“I said Jalen Brunson you’re the best player in these playoffs. Congratulations, now and your Knicks can all go to Cancun and heal up,” said Miller. “I’m not in the series. I had nothing to do with this series, but then I got dragged into it. I did my job. But again being frontrunners, there was no need for that. There was no need for it, but it is what it is.”
Miller and the Knicks have had a long-standing rivalry that has spanned nearly the past 30 years. Given what took place in this past season’s playoffs, the rivalry has no clear signs of slowing down, as neither side can seem to forget the events of the infamous clashes in the 1990s.