You might hate hearing it, but the New York Knicks standout Josh Hart has real bragging rights over the Philadelphia 76ers.
When it comes to on-court play, the Knicks have found success against the Sixers during the playoffs two times in the past three years. In 2024, the Sixers lost to New York in the first round with a 2-4 loss.
After missing the playoffs in 2024-2025, the Sixers and the Knicks met again in 2026. Despite being on a high from a 1-3 comeback win over the Boston Celtics, the Sixers were totally smacked in round two. A Knicks sweep might've felt better since they won the championship weeks later, but it doesn't do anything but load up the bragging rights.
When you look beyond the on-court stuff, the takeovers from New York fans in Philly were real two years ago, and they were certainly real back in the spring, when the Sixers were catching a beatdown by the Knicks in the playoffs. Josh Hart came at the town's fandom. His take was walked back slightly, but only in defense of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Josh Hart doubles down on criticism for 76ers fans
Speaking with NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark, Hart made it clear that his tune won't change--not even if the Sixers made some of the most exciting moves of the 2026 NBA offseason.
“I’m going to double down. I’m gonna say, they are an Eagles town. They love the Eagles. I will say that," Hart explained. "I’m not going to backtrack. I’m going to hold true to my words. But I will put an asterisk and say they are probably one of the best fan bases NFL-wise. They are an NFL town.”
The LeBron effect should help
I don't need to explain to you the impact that LeBron James brings to the game from a fan perspective. The guy has a traveling fan base that would follow him from team to team, filling arenas. Of course, Knicks fans are going to be up for the challenge of continuing their takeovers in South Philly, but the LeBron effect should help counter it.
And beyond LeBron's supporters, the Sixers are simply too exciting to overlook this year. I understand the lack of desire to keep Knicks fans out of the building in recent years. The 76ers' shortcomings and predictable outcomes were getting repetitive and tiring, but this is finally fresh.
The Sixers picked up not one--but two stars during the offseason. The public is back to believing that they can put up a fight in a tough Eastern Conference, which features Hart and the Knicks as the team to beat.
The outspoken veteran forward out of New York is going to keep poking the bear as long as the evidence proves him to be correct. Sixers fans will get their first chance to prove Hart wrong when they host the Knicks for an NBA Cup game on October 30.
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