Welcome to the Ultimate Knicks Tournament.
It’s been a few weeks since WWIB #44, and while we could have continued with an exciting WWIB #45 featuring Cole Aldrich, Eddie Lee Wilkins, and Jericho Sims—followed by an even more thrilling WWIB #50 with Greg Anthony, Mike Sweetney, and Zach Randolph, and so on through numbers 51, 52, 54, and 55—we’ve decided to take a different approach.
Instead of going down that rabbit hole, we’re rewinding the tape to revisit the winners of each previous WWIB segment, pitting them against one another head-to-head bracket style. Some of these matchups should spark some interesting debates, while others may seem unfair but one thing is for certain, we will get to the bottom of…
Who Really Wore The Knicks Uniform Best (not named Patrick, Melo, and the other retired legends whose numbers hang in the rafters).
Antonio Losada
ROUND 1 — #1 Amare’ Stoudemire vs. #2 Larry Johnson
#1 Amare’ Stoudemire – The first-ever edition of WWIB featured Amare’ Stoudemire, Chris Childs, and Obi Toppin. Of the 249 total votes, Amare’ won by a landslide with 193 votes.
Amare’ Stoudemire joined the Knicks as a free agent in 2010. Amare’ was the Knicks big prize after LeBron took his talents to South Beach. Having worn #32 during his first three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, he switched to #1 before the 2006-07 season, a number he carried into his time in New York. In his 4 ½ seasons as a Knick, Amar’e was voted a starter for the 2011 Eastern Conference All-Star team and earned two All-NBA Second Team selections. While injuries hampered his final two years with the team, there isn’t a Knicks fan who can deny that he lived up to his bold proclamation: “The Knicks Are Back.”
During his first season in New York, Stoudemire shouldered the franchise’s resurgence, averaging 25.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while leading the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since 2003-04. That 2010-11 campaign also marked the team’s first winning season since 2001-02, cementing Amar’e’s place in Knicks history.
Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images
#2 Larry Johnson – Similar to the results of WWIB #1, Grandmama dominated WWIB #2 with a margin just as convincing as Amare’s in the first round. Perhaps Miles McBride would fare better than just 10 of the 163 votes if we ran the poll again this season, but nevertheless, LJ left no doubt, securing 132 of the 163 votes and easily outpacing the competition.
Johnson became a league-wide fan favorite after being selected first overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1991 NBA Draft. Though officially listed at 6’7”, he stood closer to 6’5”, yet his unique blend of speed, strength, and sheer brute force made him unlike any other player of his era.
Recognizable by his signature gold tooth and middle-parted high fade, LJ had a style all his own. He became the face of Converse, famously developing the alter ego “Grandmama” for his iconic sneaker commercials. In the summer of 1996, the Knicks acquired Johnson in a trade with Charlotte, sending Anthony Mason and Brad Lohaus in return.
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Though lingering back injuries diminished his ability to throw down the thunderous tomahawk slams fans had grown accustomed to, Johnson reinvented himself as a key leader in the locker room and on the court, earning the role of tri-captain alongside Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley. However, it was during Game 3 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals that Johnson cemented his place in Knicks history with one of the franchise’s most iconic moments.
Trailing 91-88 with 11.9 seconds remaining, the Knicks were setting up an inbounds play for a potential game-tying three-pointer. What they got instead was an even more historic sequence. As Johnson leaped to recover an errant inbounds pass from Charlie Ward—deflected by Jalen Rose—Antonio Davis picked him up on the left wing, roughly eight feet beyond the three-point arc.
As the clock wound down, Johnson tried to bait Davis with a series of foot jabs, but Davis didn’t bite. Finally, Johnson sold him on a head fake, drawing Davis into the air. Seizing the moment, Johnson took one dribble to his left, pulled up, and released a deep three-pointer just as Davis’s forearm made contact. Before the ball even reached the basket, the referee’s whistle blew. In that instant, everything inside Madison Square Garden froze, except for the ball, which continued its arc before swishing through the net.
The Garden crowd erupted, the sheer force of their celebration shaking the cameras so violently that it created the illusion of the entire arena trembling. As Johnson sprinted toward midcourt in elation, Chris Childs intercepted him, grounding his excitement with a crucial reminder, he still had to make the free throw.
With the Garden momentarily hushed, Johnson stepped to the line, took a breath, and knocked down the foul shot, sealing the Knicks’ victory and sending the crowd into another frenzy.
LJ remained a Knicks captain for two more seasons before back injuries forced him into early retirement after a decade in the NBA. Yet his legendary four-point play remains one of the most unforgettable moments in Knicks history and arguably the most iconic four-point play in NBA history.