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How the Knicks ended up in Disney and Pixar’s Soul movie

ByJeffrey Bellone|
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 02: Tom Thibodeau of the Minnesota Timberwolves complains about a call during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 02, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 02: Tom Thibodeau of the Minnesota Timberwolves complains about a call during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 02, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks can’t escape being trolled.

You can imagine many New York Knicks fans adjusted their Christmas Day routines without their favorite basketball team to watch by putting on the latest Disney and Pixar film Soul, which was released on the Disney Plus streaming service for the holiday.

Little did they know, they would find a joke about the Knicks in the movie.

After the lead character – a music teacher named Joe – suffers an accident that sends him to the Great Beyond, he meets a soul who says, “check this out, I have been messing with this team for decades” before the scene shows a basketball player front-rimming a dunk as the announcer says, “and the Knicks lose another one.”

American playwright and screenwriter Kemp Powers, who co-directed Soul, admitted on Twitter that he was responsible for the quip. He noted how he is a lifelong fan of the team so had earned the right to poke some fun at them.

"“For all those asking, YES. I am responsible for that Knicks joke in @PixarSoul,” Powers tweeted. “I’m a diehard, lifelong Knicks fan. Despite their enormous payroll, the last time they won a championship was 1973. The year I was BORN. I think I earned the right to make that joke.”"

This is far from the first time the Knicks have found themselves on the wrong side of a joke they didn’t start. Earlier this month, former president Barack Obama took a jab at the struggling franchise while being interviewed by Desus & Mero during his book tour.

After several disappointing seasons, the NBA decided to leave the Knicks off their marquee holiday lineup this year. The Knicks were the first team to be featured on Christmas day back in 1947. Since then, no other organization has appeared in more Christmas games.

Some of the most memorable Christmas moments for the Knicks include Bernard King scoring 60 points against the Nets in 1984, Patrick Ewing leading a 25-point comeback over the Celtics in 1985, and Carmelo Anthony putting up 37 points in a win over Boston in 2011.

The NBA has turned the holiday affair into one of their tentpole dates on the regular season schedule. As the league tries to feature rising stars and title contenders, the Knicks have not appeared on Christmas since 2018. For now, they will have to settle for references in Disney/Pixar movies.

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