Details emerge on Pope Leo’s Knicks fandom

There is little doubt which NBA team Pope Leo is backing in the 2025 playoffs.

The recently concluded papal conclave named Chicago native Robert Prevost the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Sports fans have had some fun trying to figure out the first American pope’s sports allegiances.

There’s already some controversy about which Chicago-based MLB team Pope Leo supports. Fans also unveiled an epic 1990s Chicago Bulls-style introduction in honor of the Illinoisan. But with the Bulls not in the playoff picture this season, Pope Leo is likely keeping tabs on a different Eastern Conference team: the New York Knicks.

The Athletic’s Tess DeMeyer spoke to Pope Leo’s longtime friend and peer, Rev. Robert P. Hagan, who has “kept in touch” with the new pope over the years.

Hagan serves as a senior associate athletic director and team chaplain for Villanova’s football and basketball programs. Pope Leo is an alumnus of Villanova, where several of the Knicks’ key players graduated from. Hagan shared that the two have enjoyed supporting the so-called ‘Nova’ Knicks.

“We’ve had a lot of fun watching the Knicks,” Hagan told DeMeyer. “Because Jalen [Brunson] and Josh [Hart] and Donte [DiVincenzo] was there and now Mikal [Bridges] is there. I think that Pope Leo will still keep an eye on the Nova Knicks. I think he’ll still keep an eye on the Wildcats, and I think he’ll be very proud of not just who they are but the way that they play with a certain spirit and unselfishness.”

Several Knicks have already caught wind of the new pope’s Villanova roots. Many have called it a good omen for a potential Knicks championship run.

If the Knicks make the NBA Finals, the team will have at least one powerful supporter watching from the Vatican.