After years of being a punching bag and a punchline in the NBA, the New York Knicks are on the brink of a breakout season. The Knicks hold a 3-1 lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the best-of-seven first round playoff series.
The Knicks have not advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs in 10 years and only twice since 2000.
One of the key cogs in the Knicks’ resurgence is Silver Spring native Josh Hart who is averaging 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in the series.
Born in Silver Spring, Hart initially attended Wheaton High School before transferring to Sidwell Friends where he was a first-team All-Met selection by The Washington Post. He played at Villanova winning a national championship during his junior season in 2016. The school retired Hart’s number 3 jersey in 2022.
Hart is playing for his fourth team in a six year NBA career. He was a first round pick in 2017 and has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trailblazers and became a member of the Knicks after a Feb. 9 trade. In a short time, Hart has become an important rotational player and occasional starter for New York.
A fun fact about Hart is that he was awarded the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank, Eagle Scout, and became one of only three known Eagle Scouts who have played in the NCAA’s Final Four along with Princeton’s Bill Bradley and Stanford’s Mark Madsen. He is the only Eagle Scout to ever start on an NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship team.
