Next week, the New York Knicks will cap off their fairy-tale run with a moment that generations of fans thought they’d see only in their dreams: the raising of the team’s championship banner into the rafters of Madison Square Garden ahead of their home opener against the new-look Philadelphia 76ers. But before that happens, Knicks owner James Dolan is trying to make the team’s popularity a nightmare for Governor Kathy Hochul.

On Thursday, the famed franchise will play a starring role in an unlikely event: a fundraiser for Hochul’s Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman. The New York Post reported earlier this week that Dolan is hosting a campaign fundraiser at the Garden, starting an hour before tip-off at the Knicks’ final preseason game against the Toronto Raptors. According to an apparently AI-generated flyer advertising the event, it costs $10,000 to attend, followed by a “Friend” contribution level of $25,000 and a “Patriot” contribution level of $50,000 a ticket.

Dolan dangerously/directly mixing politics and the Knicks here https://t.co/wBD15MohNk pic.twitter.com/anTN7UgqdG— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) October 12, 2026

Dolan dangerously/directly mixing politics and the Knicks here https://t.co/wBD15MohNk pic.twitter.com/anTN7UgqdG

While leveraging the city’s most beloved team may be Dolan’s most high-profile intervention in the New York governor’s race, it’s far from his first. Wired reported earlier this month that........

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