It was anything but sunny in Philadelphia for New York Knicks star Josh Hart on Sunday afternoon.
Hart's return to the City of Brotherly Love didn't go well: in attendance for the 2024-25 NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field, the former Villanova Wildcat could only watch as his beloved Washington Commanders endured a 55-23 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, missing out on a chance to secured their first Super Bowl visit in 33 years.
Teammate, friend, podcast co-host, and die-hard Eagles fan, Jalen Brunson refused to wait until the next episode of "Roommates Show" to get on Hart's case.
Josh left before the 4qtr started @joshhart
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) January 26, 2025
LMAO @joshhart pic.twitter.com/gU8CUEH1Cf
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) January 26, 2025
Fellow Eagles fan Karl-Anthony Towns likewise got in on the taunting while Knicks teammate Precious Achiuwa expressed concern for Hart's well-being as the game got more out of hand.
@joshhart answer your damn phone.
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) January 26, 2025
Someone check on Josh
— Precious Achiuwa (@PreciousAchiuwa) January 26, 2025
Hart, however, just might've had the last laugh with a witty reason for his early exit.
Have to get home so I can sleep. One of us has to play defense tomorrow https://t.co/Wuic1O29bM
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) January 26, 2025
Even with his defensive prowess, a verbal onslaught likely awaits Hart when he arrives at Madison Square Garden tomorrow: the Commanders fell behind 14-3 after the first quarter before narrowing the gap to two. Excessive turnovers, however, prevented them from making any further headway and the deficit was inflated back to 12 before halftime. Philadelphia closed the game with 21 consecutive points to secure its third Super Bowl berth in the last eight seasons.
Scorers of the most the most points in NFC Championship Game history, the Eagles (16-3) will go for their second Super Bowl title in two weeks. A trip to New Orleans awaits and they await the winner of the AFC title match between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
In the meantime, the Knicks (30-16) will have to put pigskin preferences aside to keep their own winning streak going, as they're set to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night at MSG (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
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