NEW YORK — James is keeping the Knicks in the Dolans.
James Dolan, whose ownership has been defined by controversies and losing, revealed Friday that he’ll bequeath his MSG teams to a family member when he’s finally done.
Which isn’t happening for a while.
“I have no plans whatsoever to sell at this point. I’m not retiring anytime soon,” Dolan told WFAN. “It’s a family-controlled asset, so someone in the family will own it.”
Dolan, 67, has six sons from two marriages. Three sons — Charles, Quentin and Ryan — are on the Board of Directors for MSG Sports, according to its website.
Dolan inherited the Knicks from his cable guru father in 1999, overseeing the NBA’s worst record during his tenure despite hefty investments in personnel.
Dolan told WFAN that being hated is just a part of being an NYC sports owner.
“There’s not one living New York sports owner [who isn’t] — well, there might be one today — [Mets owner] Steve Cohen, but he’s new. He’ll get there, though,” Dolan said. “They all do. Everybody does. New York sports teams owners are not beloved. Not until they’re dead. And even then it’s a little iffy.”
In the interview with WFAN, Dolan said he didn’t understand why a fan would criticize ownership and defended former Mets owner Fred Wilpon, who sold the Mets to hedge funder Cohen in 2020.
Cohen has already turned the Mets’ payroll into the MLB’s highest.
“How much money did [Wilpon] put into that team?” Dolan said. “You think he starved the team of money?”
Dolan acknowledged that he was meddlesome early into his ownership but has since backed off.
“My deal with [Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau] and [team president] Leon Rose is I get to speak. Their deal is they don’t have to listen to me,” Dolan said.
The Knicks haven’t won a championship in 50 years. They have just one playoff series victory since 2000.
“Every owner goes into the season believing they have a shot. Like I’ve done 24 seasons,” Dolan said.
