NEW YORK KNICKS WORDMARK PROFESSIONAL

Irish explained that the rules of the Arena Managers Association of America stated that Madison Square Garden was required to own any professional teams that played in the arena. Kase originally planned to own and operate the New York franchise himself and approached Irish with a proposal to lease the Garden. Ned Irish, a college basketball promoter, retired sportswriter and then president of Madison Square Garden, was in attendance. On June 6, 1946, Kase and Brown and a group of seventeen others assembled at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), where charter franchises were granted to major cities throughout the country. Brown, intrigued by the opportunity to attain additional income when the hockey teams were not playing or on the road, contacted several arena owners. Kase developed the idea of an organized professional league to showcase college players upon their graduation and felt it could become profitable if properly assembled. Max Kase, a New York sportswriter, became the sports editor at the Boston American in the 1930s, when he met Boston Garden owner Walter A. Hockey was another popular sport at the time and generated considerable profits however, the arenas were not used often. In 1946, basketball, particularly college basketball, was a growing and increasingly profitable sport in New York City. See also: List of New York Knicks seasons 1946–1967: Early years They were eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers, and had failed to make the playoffs for eight years until 2020–21 when they were led by forward Julius Randle and sophomore RJ Barrett, who was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft. Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain their former successes, but won their first division title in 19 years in 2012–13, led by a core of forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. However, they were unable to win an NBA championship during this era. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, making NBA Finals appearances in 19. The playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat.

The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances however, they failed to participate in the NBA Finals. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 19. It was not until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became the head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team subsequently began to falter. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchise's first head coach Joe Lapchick. The team, established by Ned Irish in 1946, was one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the NBA after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949. Alongside the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams still located in its original city. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City the other team is the Brooklyn Nets.

The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan.

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