John Starks Identifies What He Loves Most About the 2025-26 Knicks

Few people embody the adage "Once a Knick, Always a Knick" more than John Starks. A member of the franchise's beloved 1990s teams, Starks is a fixture at games and team events to this day.

If you've been tuning into March Madness this month, you've probably seen Starks appearing alongside former teammate Patrick Ewing and current Knicks Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jose Alvarado in AT&T's new "Ranger Ted" ad.

Speaking with Men's Journal, Starks spoke glowingly of the connection he still feels to his old team and its loyal fanbase.

"I think the fans have a lot to do with that," Starks explained. "They truly appreciate their sports heroes here. Obviously, it's a sports town with the Rangers and the Giants and I can go on and on. But this is a sports town. So they really hold their athletes to a higher standard here, I think. And they remember everything about what you've done throughout your playing career. They enjoy that experience, connection that they have with you, you know what I mean?

"And I always say that the fans here don't think about this as a separate team. Whenever they talk about the Knicks, they always say we, like they're out there playing with us. And so I think that's where the organization understands that connection and tries to keep that going. Even after you leave, they want to bring you back into the fold. The fans appreciate that."

New-age Knicks built NYC tough

Starks spent eight seasons in the "pressure cooker" that is New York City sports, an environment he says he enjoyed.

This current Knicks team is coming off the organization's first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years and is firmly in championship-or-bust territory. Those expectations are a heavy burden, but Starks thinks this group is built to handle it.

"This team right here, they're kind of mellow guys. You know what I mean? They don't get too up. They don't get too down. And so I think they got a good temperament to be here in New York and play in this environment because they don't let too many things get to them," Starks said.

"Like I say, they kind of remind me of our teams back in the 90s. They're such a close-knit unit, that they can feed off of one another and they can share thoughts and their deepest secrets and what have you. They know that it's going to stay within within the group.

"You can't fracture their toughness. You can't fracture their mindset. And that's what I love about them."

Looking ahead to the playoffs

The start of the NBA Playoffs is less than a month away, and the Knicks will be getting a top-4 seed in the East. Anything less than a trip to the NBA Finals will be looked at as a disappointment, and getting eliminated before the conference finals will be viewed as a disaster by many fans.

Starks assessed the Knicks' ability to make a deep run.

"They need to come out with the energy that they've been coming out with the last three or four ballgames on the defensive end of the court, which they had last year," he said. "They were winning a lot of games just on toughness alone and grittiness and what have you. I think what Mike Brown has, Coach Brown, I should say, has brought to the table is his offensive scheme. And I think it's going to serve them well in the playoffs because everybody is just touching the ball. Everybody is getting more involved and we're not leaving the burden of the offense on Jalen to do it all. And so it's evident in the last couple of ballgames, the way these guys have been playing. That's what I love about where we are right now going into the playoffs. If they can keep that same mindset, we should be fine."

All eyes on St. John's

For the moment, the New York basketball world revolves around St. John's, which is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999. The Red Storm, the No. 5 seed in the East Region, will take on top-seeded Duke in Washington, D.C. Friday night.

In its third season under legendary coach Rick Pitino, St. John's has already won the Big East regular season and tournament titles. Starks thinks the Johnnies can accomplish an even bigger goal, having picked them to win the NCAA Tournament.

"I think St. John's, just watching them here at the Garden during the Big East Tournament, and Iooking at this team, I'm like, this team could win it all," Starks explained. "They got the toughness. Their guard play is very solid. That's what, in the tournament, your guard play has to be extraordinary in order for you to move on game after game. Rick Pitino, he did a great job of getting some solid guards in there.

"They're tough, and I think they have a little bit more firepower than they did last year. And I think from a defensive standpoint, come on now. You destroyed UConn the way you destroyed them in the Big East finals, and then then you get placed at fifth [seed]. That didn't make sense to me, but I know Duke wishes they weren't at fifth right now. That's who they're going to have to run into eventually, and I feel like they got the team to get the job done. Plus, you got a Hall of Fame coach in Coach Pitino who understands how to get a team ready for tournament time."