Kings of the Garden: The New York Knicks and Their City

Adam J. Criblez's book "Kings of the Garden" explores the fall and rise of the New York Knicks between 1973 and 1985, highlighting the team's struggles and the city's urban despair during that period. The Knicks' fortunes were intertwined with those of New York City, with the team's Black superstars contributing to the creation of hip-hop culture. Despite their eventual failure to build a dynasty, the Knicks symbolized the NBA and the nation's complexities during this transformative era.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2024
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In his book "Kings of the Garden," Adam J. Criblez explores the rise and fall of the New York Knicks between 1973, the year they won their last NBA championship, and 1985, when the organization drafted Patrick Ewing and brought hope to their fans after a decade of disappointments. During these years, the Knicks, led by players like Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bob McAdoo, Spencer Haywood, and Bernard King, struggled to achieve on-court success and faced similar challenges as the city of New York. In the mid-seventies, as the Knicks lost more games than they won and played in front of smaller and smaller crowds, the city was on the brink of bankruptcy, while urban disinvestment, growing income inequality, and street gangs created a sense of urban despair. "Kings of the Garden" reveals how the fortunes of the Knicks and New York City were intertwined. As the team's Black superstars gained national fame, Black musicians, DJs, and B-boys in the South Bronx were creating a new cultural expression—hip-hop—that would become a global phenomenon. Criblez's captivating account of this era demonstrates that, despite the Knicks' ultimately unsuccessful attempt to build a dynasty, they symbolized both the best and worst aspects of the NBA and the nation during this tumultuous, creative, and transformative time.

Weight: 907g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501773938