Following the New York Knicks’ long-hoped-for NBA championship win, fans have been in a frenzy. This includes celebrity Knicks fans, as plenty of stars rooted on the team during their historic postseason run. Amid the buzz, though, some TV fans might wonder which fictional characters would be ecstatic about the team's victory. On that note, I never realized how much I needed to know if NCIS: Los Angeles’ Sam Hanna was rooting for the Knickbockers until LL Cool J was asked.
In honor of both the Knicks and the new NCIS spinoff, NCIS: New York, coming to CBS this fall on the 2026 TV schedule, LL Cool J repped his team and his character. In an Instagram video posted by the official NCIS account, the rapper/actor revealed the NBA team Sam regularly rooted for, and I love how the star is taking "creative license" with this part of Hanna's life:
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Since LL Cool J himself is a Knicks fan, as if it wasn’t obvious by the video, it’s not surprising that he'd say Sam Hanna is one as well. However, that’s not the only reason Sam would be a Knicks fan. The character is canonically from Brooklyn and, despite living and working in LA for a long time, LL's assertion would suggest he still loves his home team.
Now that Sam will be going back to New York for the new spinoff, I wouldn’t be surprised if he started repping Knicks merch or at least referenced them once in a while. I'd imagine LL would love that amid his full-time return to the NCIS franchise.
As a Bucks fan, I admittedly love the fact that LL Cool J is confirming where Sam’s loyalties lie, and the star's enthusiasm is infectious. What I'm wondering now is if there will be any Knicks references in NCIS: New York, especially following the championship win. It would honestly feel weird if it didn't come up at all, even as part of light banter amongst characters.
Knicks references or not, fans won't have to wait too long for NCIS: New York to arrive. CBS announced in April that it had ordered the new spinoff for the 2026-2027 season, with LL Cool J returning as Sam Hanna. Additionally, Hawaii Five-0 and Alert: Missing Persons Unit star Scott Caan will be starring in the series, However, Caan will not play his Five-0 character, Detective Danny Williams, despite that crossover with NCIS: LA. A premiere date has yet to be announced for the new show, but it will air later this year.
Following LL Cool J's declaration that Sam is a Knicks' fan, I really hope the writers take that to heart and make it canon. And, hey, with Knicks star Jalen Brunson campaigning to be on Law & Order: SVU, maybe the upcoming NCIS spinoff can welcome a member of the team or two?
NCIS: New York premieres this fall on CBS and will be streamable with a Paramount+ subscription.
