New York Knicks: 5 surprising facts about the Knicks and the NBA Draft

NBA Draft (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NBA Draft (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 20: The first round draft board is seen during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 20: The first round draft board is seen during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks have a unique history with the NBA Draft. These five unbelievable facts prove that hyperbole isn’t necessary in that discussion.


The 2020 NBA regular season has been placed on hold, but the New York Knicks have been looking forward to the offseason since well before then. While New York hasn’t been mathematically eliminated from the Playoffs, it’d need a miracle to secure the No. 8 seed.

As such, it appears as though the Knicks are returning to the NBA Draft Lottery with the hope of making a landscape-altering selection.

While this may seem like common territory in 2020, the Knicks’ relationship with the NBA Draft has been turbulent. Between patches without a draft pick, success with finding diamonds in the rough, and a troubling piece of information about re-signing talent, it’s a convoluted mess.

It appears as though New York is finally putting that chapter behind them, but one can’t help but look back at what the franchise has done.

New York drafted Patrick Ewing at No. 1 overall and went on to make two NBA Finals appearances with the future Hall of Famer. It also traded picks that ended up being perennial All-Stars or rising forces in the modern NBA.

Rather than trying to summarize the unique relationship that is the New York Knicks and the NBA Draft, however, we should discuss this in full.

These five facts seem fake, but the truth is: It’s just the Knicks.