Spike Lee is in the news this week — not because of anything he said — but because of what Knicks President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson said about him.
Jackson said while at the New Yorker Festival this weekend that Spike is an “avid Knicks fan who doesn’t know anything about basketball.”
Phil said of Spike Lee, "Spike is an avid Knicks fan who doesn't know anything about basketball."
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) October 12, 2014
In my opinion, the Knicks and Spike are perfect for each other; neither have done anything relevant for the past decade or so. There was Inside Man for Spike in 2006, but there was also Linsanity for the Knicks, a brief reemergence for the Orange and Blue in an otherwise pathetic sports franchise existence. For the most part, despite a nice run in the 90s, both of them have led fairly similar legacies in recent history.
Anyway, I digress — Spike is the Knicks’ celebrity fan. He is the face of Knicks fandom. And, so, it begs the question, with Cleveland being the most intriguing NBA team heading into the season, who could become the celebrity fan for the Cavaliers in a potentially new era of basketball dominance — dare I say dynasty — in Cleveland?
A few names come to mind:
- Dave Chappelle: He has a house in Ohio with his family and how freaking cool would it be to see him on the sidelines of Cavs games, chest-bumping LeBron after a gamewinner? Like many people, I was a huge fan of Chappelle’s Show and, like many people, have been dying to see it back on television. With LeBron back home, it doesn’t take a genius to see that the opportunity is there for Chappelle to use LeBron’s return to Cleveland as way to form a friendship — at least in the public eye — and have LeBron on as a guest in a skit where the two of them go around Cleveland doing something hilarious. I’ll spare my creative juices and leave it to them to figure out how to make it work, but all I’m saying is the opportunity is there.
- John Legend: John Legend was born in Ohio. He’s an entertainer. After a wildly successful run, he could use a boost to his career. Who better to propel one back to stardom than LeBron? The opportunity is there for him to commit to floor seats for the season at Quicken Loans Arena and we could finally see the musician-athlete duo that no one got to see when LeBron turned a deaf ear to calls from Jay Z to sign with Brooklyn in 2010. With LeBron’s hands, I bet he’d make a nasty piano player.
That’s pretty much it! In terms of people with ties to Ohio who I think could become the celebrity face of the new-look Cavs, Chappelle and John Legend are my two best guesses.
MANZIEL? MEH
Johnny Manziel could be the Cavs’ celebrity face. We’re talking about two of the biggest names in sports right now.
But does Johnny Football have the staying power? Can he succeed in the NFL to maintain that staying power in the celebrity world? LeBron is a household name. He will remain that way for years to come. There’s no reason to think that Manziel will be a D-list celebrity in a few years.
If Manziel is smart, he’ll show face at as many Cavs games as possible this season. He might as well enjoy and profit from all of the attention while he’s still getting it, but let’s face it — like Tebow’s 15 minutes, Manziel could be an absolute nobody in 2016.
BOEHNER? YAWN
There’s John Boehner, whose life and career in Ohio is well-documented, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say I don’t see him teaming with the Cavs and those two names becoming a marketable duo. I mean, it’d be cool to see them in some capacity doing something together, but it’s not sustainable like it’d be for the Cavs to welcome Chappelle or Johnny Legend as the celebrity face of the franchise. Spike is a much better fit for the Knicks than Charlie Rangel or Chuck Schumer, right? It’s important to think outside the box, but politics may be a bit to far out for these purposes.
Then again, who is to say we won’t see Condoleezza Rice replace Roger Goodell as NFL Commissioner?
Anyway, Chappelle is the guy prime to become the celebrity face of the Cavs franchise. What better way to re-establish yourself as the king of comedy than via a few high-fives each week with LeBron in front of millions of people?
Plus, I really want to see LeBron on-screen in a Rick James skit.
Let’s make it happen, guys.