In just a few hours, the New York Knicks play their first NBA Finals game since 1999. It seems like everyone in New York City is wearing Knicks gear, grinning at each other on the subway like can you believe it?! No fewer than five kids in my daughter Edith’s Pre-K class wear a Jalen Brunson jersey on any given day, including her. “He’s the king of New York,” she explained very seriously last week. (We’ll get into all that merch below!)
This magical Knicks run has brought us all together in an unexpected and unexpectedly beautiful way.
Another group that’s been brought together is my extended family, whose love of the Knicks stretches back to when my Aunt Pam worked as VP of Marketing for the Knicks in the 1990s.
Our entire family has been Knicks fans since those days, and the excitement over this season has coalesced into a multigenerational group chat called GO NY GO, with cousins, partners, parents, and grandparents weighing in at all hours, from across the New York area to Florida.
It's been the most fun part of this whole run. Night after night, there are messages of solidarity and stress—and live commentary from my grandmother. Don’t get her started on Karl-Anthony Towns.
I knew I needed to take it beyond the chat.
Aunt Pam with me (right) and my sister Francesca (bottom) in the mid-90s
My aunt Pam, known to the rest of the world as Pam Harris, was hired as the Knicks’ director of marketing in 1991 and started just a few weeks before Pat Riley. She was the fifth member of an all-male executive team, charged with getting more fans in the arena and livening up the experience at the games. Her ideas led the Knicks to a sellout season that year—and they have become part of the fabric of New York City.
She was working for the Knicks the last time they were this good. Or any good.
As my 94-year-old Grandpa Al put it:
I wrote about Pam the last time New York City was electric with Knicks energy: In 2012, the Linsanity era:
“My Aunt Pam created the Knicks City Dancers,” I explained loudly, and unnecessarily, since all of my friends already know this. My standard game outfit resembles that of a headstrong, overgrown child: I sport a bedazzled Knicks hat adorned with playoff pins from 1993,‘94, and ‘96, sized to the largest notch, and an early ‘90s Larry Johnson Hornets jersey, which formerly hung to my knees but these days is best described as slim-fitting, from before Johnson was traded to the Knicks in 1996 and the Hornets relocated from Charlotte, N.C., to New Orleans. It’s a nod to my childhood fandom and the ‘90s Knicks, who, though I was only in single digits at the time, figure heavily into my early memories. That’s because my mom’s younger sister, Pamela Harris, joined the Knicks in 1991 as director of marketing. In addition to overseeing the development of the classic “Go NY Go” theme song—which asked fans the ever-important question, “Are you down with the orange and the blue?”—she spearheaded the creation of the Knicks City Dancers. In the process, my aunt facilitated one glorious, loosely interpreted “take your daughter to work day” during which I got to use the announcer’s microphone and even dribble on the court.
Pam’s genius is that she keenly understands New York. The Lakers had the Lakers Girls, so Pam created the Knicks City Dancers—but instead of cheerleaders with pom poms they were Broadway-caliber dancers wearing Donna Karan motorcycle jackets. The team needed an anthem, so she commissioned Jesse Itzler to write the now-classic “Go New York Go.”
Feeling the Knicksification of the moment, I posted some 90s-era family photos on Instagram, along with screenshots from our family chat. They were met with a barrage of fire emojis and an invitation from Julie Klausner to come on her podcast How Was Your Week. It was a joy to go on her show (longtime listener, first time Knicks nepo niece!), and get to hear Pam share stories from back in the day, including how Nora Ephron had the seats next to her at the Garden—and the Knicks romcom that almost was.
Here’s the episode:
One thing that came up a lot in our conversation with Julie was merch. From the Knicks City Dancers’ bedazzled outfits in the 90s to the orange-and-blue gear dotting the city this week, Knicks style is the look of the moment. I asked Pam and Julie to share their favorite items, and I threw in a few of my own.
GOLDA’s Favorite Knicks Merch—Then and Now
This is Aunt Pam’s pick—and you know she knows cool.
Julie Klausner says “I feel like more people need to know WHAT TIME IT IS…”
The closest approximation I’ve found to my beloved ‘90s bedazzled Knicks hat, pictured earlier in the newsletter.
These are only available in-store on the Upper West Side, making them perfectly niche.
For the Knicks City Kid in your life…
Pam mentioned on How Was Your Week that the 1970s-era Knicks championship court had been sitting in storage, so her team decided to start using it in fun ways. One was this extremely ‘90s humidor collab. A few of them are still floating around on auction sites. Happy hunting!
Also in NYC…
It’s not just the Knicks heating up New York City. I reported live from the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s annual benefit, where attendees and honorees shared their favorite spots in the iconic Upper West Side institution.
Get in touch if you’d like to bring GOLDA and our pink mics to your community: [email protected]
We’ll be back Friday with a new episode of GOLDA Girls. For more Julie Klausner, listen to her recent appearance on the podcast.
Stay GOLDA—and Go New York Go!
Stephanie
