No sex for 10 weeks: the secret to the Knicks' first NBA title in 53 years?

This was the request from the Knicks owner to his players to make them aware of the historic opportunity before them.

A 53-year drought. An anomaly in the world of American sports for a city like New York. On June 14, 2026, the New York Knicks ended a period of drought that most of the city's inhabitants had always known: the New York Knicks synonymous with losers, unable to bring home a title, while on the other side of the city, the New York Giants and the New York Yankees were racking up rings.

What if all of this had happened thanks to the impassioned motivational speech of the team's owner, businessman James Dolan? This Monday, a video was released of the boss's speech to his players in early April, when only five regular season games remained. The ensuing record was exceptional: four wins out of five in the regular season and a playoff record of 16 wins and three losses, including a decisive 4-1 series victory against Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs.

“This team can win everything,” Dolan explains in the video. “I don’t know if you understand what it would mean for you if you won the championship this year. Your life would be transformed.”

"The Spartans were tightening their belts to gain an advantage."

And to really get his message across about commitment, discipline, and involvement, Dolan used an image that has since generated a lot of discussion, but which touched the players deeply. And a little further down.

"I've had an idea. Perhaps you should abstain from sex for the next ten weeks. The Spartans used to hold back to gain an advantage. Take that advantage."

"It's not too long. Sacrifice everything you have for the next ten weeks to win the championship. Go home, talk to your partners. Don't tell them it was my idea. But explain to them what kind of commitment it will be and that they too will have to make sacrifices."

"There was no chance I could do it."

"They were a little surprised, but the words had an impact," a source close to the group told SNY, a New York sports media outlet.

The demand was confirmed in a (slightly drunken) live stream by center Mikal Bridges, who called his boss a "savage." Neither Bridges nor SNY said whether the players complied with their boss's order. The New York Post did, however, manage to interview coach Mike Brown, who was in the room. "When he (Dolan) said that, I thought, 'Mike, hold it in, don't burst out laughing, focus on his words. Try to stay as serious as possible, and let's see how the players take it.' But for me, there was no way I could do it," he said with a laugh.