You were traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the New York Knicks in 2024. In your second season with the Knicks, you helped New York City win its first NBA championship in more than half a century. What were your favorite moments during the championship run?
My memories revolve around moments that didn’t have a basketball: hanging out in hotels after games and after wins, getting together with the team after losses to figure out how we could be better. What’s really great is when your fondest memories in a year of winning a championship are not holding the trophy, but realizing that the trophy was the team. It was an honor to be in that locker room with those guys and to create history with them.
The Knicks won in five games, but it wasn’t easy. In game 4, you guys were down by 29 points. Somehow the team came back and won. How did that happen?
It’s a group of guys who love each other and were willing to play to the final horn, regardless of what the score was. That just shows the bond and unity we have with each other. Mentally, everyone understood exactly what we were here to do. We weren’t getting together to be good; we were getting together to be great, to be historic.
During the playoffs, did the city feel as electric to you as it did to everyone else?
Absolutely. The city was on fire. I grew up in the area, so to go back to New Jersey and see how excited they were, it really meant a lot.
Vintage jersey from eBay; Pro Club T-shirt; Caloy Deguzman custom jeans; Graff earrings; Rolex watch; Timberland boots.
You have a massive sports-card collection, and you’ve turned that hobby into a business, Big Bodegas Breaks, a platform where fans open packs of cards on live stream. How did you first get into collecting?
Spencer Sports Cards in Dunellen, New Jersey, was my first job, before I got to the NBA. I begged for that job. One of the first pieces of memorabilia I sold in the store was a signed Alex Rodriguez bat from when he was on the Yankees. Then, a full-circle moment later on, I would become partners with A-Rod and the Timberwolves [when Rodriguez bought the team].
I’ve loved the whole card scene for my entire life, but I got out of it because I was signing so many and playing in the league. When I got with Jordyn [Woods, his now wife], she told me I should start collecting again because my kids would appreciate it. I told her, “Those will be your kids, right?” I got into the game really heavily again, and now it’s back to that full-blown kid level of passion.
You’ve been expanding into the wider culture over the past few years. You even made a cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2. Have you always had off-court ambitions?
For sure. I’m just utilizing what God’s given me. My parents raised me with this personality, so I just want to share my love of the world and many different art forms, not just with a basketball in my hand.
Online, people said your scene with Anne Hathaway was a good-luck charm for the Finals—the Knicks lost only one game after the movie came out.
I think Jordyn’s bag did a little more work than Anne.
Willy Chavarria top; Pro Club T-shirt; Caloy Deguzman custom jeans; Graff earrings; Rolex watch; Nike sneakers. Bags on floor, from left: Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton.
I have to ask about the bag! During the Finals, Jordyn carried an orange clutch from her brand, Woods by Jordyn, to every game but one. The Knicks won all the games she brought it to, and lost the one game she didn’t wear it.
It’s the luckiest bag in all of New York City. It got the job done. Jordyn spent a lot of time on the bag. When you put so much love into something like that, you build some great karma.
The bag was even displayed at the Guggenheim in June, after the Knicks won the championship.
It went from the Guggenheim to Fanatics Fest, and other museums are asking if they can showcase it too. It’s a part of culture, especially sports culture and New York culture, forever.
The new season just started. How does the team feel?
We feel good. During the offseason, we had our group chats. We FaceTimed. We talked about life with each other. It was just jokes and laughs and seeing each other on vacations and showing love. It was about appreciating each other’s families and loved ones. We are a family unit, so it was kind of family talk.
Do you feel more relaxed after winning a championship?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I feel more stressed now.
Grooming by Scott McMahan for Dior Beauty at Honey Artists; Barber: Ezell Hunter; Set Design by Eric Mestman at MHS Artists; Photo Assistant: Eduardo Silva; Fashion Assistants: Dylan Gue, Lizzie Bowden; Tailor: lindsay Wright.
