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Spike Lee has always found poetry in the most New York moments. But this time, the Knicks’ most iconic fan saw prophecy in Rome, per TMZ.
After the Vatican elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo 14, Lee took to Instagram and made his boldest championship declaration yet. In a post that featured nothing but an image of the new pope, Lee drew a spiritual line from the Sistine Chapel all the way to Madison Square Garden. His logic? The pope graduated from Villanova — the same school where Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges won national championships. In Lee’s eyes, that makes this papal election a divine sign that the Knicks are destined to win it all.
“The Knickerbockers are gonna win the 2024-2025 NBA World Championship,” Lee wrote. “It is divinity… And Dat’s Da Holy Truth, Ruth. Ya-dig?”
The connection might seem like a reach, but Knicks fans aren’t about logic right now — they’re about belief.
Villanova roots fuel divine narrative
Pope Leo 14, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, hails from Chicago but spent years in Rome before his ascension. Despite his European residence and unclear NBA allegiance, there’s one confirmed overlap: he once engaged with a tweet celebrating a Villanova NCAA title.
That’s enough for some New Yorkers to canonize the moment, especially Lee
Brunson, Hart, and Bridges have turned the Knicks into an embodiment of Villanova’s championship DNA. And while Donte DiVincenzo was left out of the trio’s spotlight this time, his role in that Wildcats legacy only strengthens the bond.
Prevost’s brother threw a curveball into the pope’s supposed Chicago Cubs fandom, telling local media that Leo 14 was actually a lifelong White Sox fan — a family split between the Cubs, Cardinals, and Sox. In any case, he’s never tweeted anything about the Bulls, so maybe there’s room in his heart for the Knicks.
Hey, if the Knicks do end up winning, Spike Lee becomes a genius. Right now, let’s just say he’s showing optimism for his city.
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