At a time where the Knicks need all hands on deck to keep their season alive, guard Josh Hart nearly missed Friday’s pivotal Game 6 against the Heat in Miami, albeit for a very important personal reason.
Hart, who’s played a pivotal role for New York this postseason, received thrilling news on Friday that he is now a first-time father after his wife Shannon gave birth to twin boys around 2:30 p.m. ET, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. Both Shannon and the Hart twins are “healthy and doing well,” per Andrews, who also reported Hart had arranged an elaborate contingency plan in the event he’d have to leave.
With the help of the team, and actor and Knicks superfan Al Palagonia, the 28-year-old guard received access to helicopters, a private plane and a police escort so he could travel quickly, according to Andrews. However, after learning Friday morning Shannon was expected to go into labor, Hart raced to the airport to catch a flight but opted to stay put, at the doctor’s request, because he wouldn’t arrive in time.
Fortunately, Hart was able to go back to his hotel and be with his wife for the birth remotely after the Knicks set up a “makeshift” Zoom call, per Andrews. Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s game, Hart reportedly already has plans to head home to be with his wife and their newborns.
“No matter, the results of this game, he has a car, he has a plane on standby. When the final buzzer, he’s going to be rushing back to New York so that he can meet his new family,” Andrews added.
Josh Hart became a father to twin boys Friday afternoon 💙
— ESPN (@espn) May 12, 2023
(via @malika_andrews) pic.twitter.com/0wnhwdzsXN
While evening the series at three games apiece will be top of mind for a few hours on Friday night, Friday’s Hart-warming story should serve as a reminder to even the most crazed fans that there’s more important things in life than basketball.
Still, for Hart, his teammates and the entire city, a win against Miami at home will remain a paramount focus as New York looks to keep its season alive with a win in Game 6.
