The New York Knicks have been the butt of jokes since — [does quick maths] — the dawn of time. Being the team that plays in New York City in any sport will, inevitably, open you up for a bunch of opportunities to get dunked on, but particularly over the last decade or two, the Knicks’ frequently being among the worst teams in the NBA makes it a little easier.
They’re no strangers to getting made fun of in forms of media that have nothing to do with basketball (see: this clip from Family Guy), but we got a new one this week courtesy of the fine folks at Disney. Soul, the latest release by Mickey Mouse and Pixar, hit Disney+ on Christmas Day, and thanks to Taylor Rooks, we were made aware of a joke made at the Knicks’ expense. Make sure you stay until the end of the clip — which shows the lead character, Joe, entering the Great Beyond — on this one.
Disney movies on Christmas, and the Knicks aren’t safe from Pixar
pic.twitter.com/98kUGqpZ1y
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) December 26, 2020
If you’re wondering how the Knicks made the new @PixarSoul movie https://t.co/CXbpev2lJW pic.twitter.com/6zxmGZ5NJ4
— JB (@JeffreyBellone) December 25, 2020
As it turns out, the person behind this joke was Kemp Powers, one of the film’s writers and, as he explained on Twitter, “a diehard, lifelong Knicks fan.”
For all those asking, YES. I am responsible for that Knicks joke in @PixarSoul. 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.
— Kemp Powers (@Powerkeni) December 25, 2020
Let this be a lesson to everyone who prods the Knicks: no one is willing to go farther to make jokes at the team’s expense than Knicks fans.