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New York City and the Knicks have long represented basketball in the Big Apple in the NBA until the Brooklyn Nets joined the picture a little over a decade ago.
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The Nets called New Jersey home for 35 years until they relocated to Brooklyn in 2012 as they looked to capture a larger and more lucrative market. The team plays in the state-of-the-art Barclays Center, which is the centerpiece of the massive Atlantic Yards real estate project.
It has been a roller-coaster run for the Nets in their 14 years so far in Brooklyn, including promising campaigns in the early 2020s when they featured All-Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Of late, however, they have been experiencing a downturn, missing the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, with their struggles compounded by their 20-62 campaign last season.
Living in the shadow of the Knicks
While the Nets are struggling, their neighbors, the Knicks, have experienced a renaissance, which they took to a whole new level when they won the NBA title last time around.
Led by Jalen Brunson, the Knicks fashioned one of the more impressive championship runs in NBA history.
They punctuated it by defeating Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals in five games to end a 53-year championship drought.
American rapper and Yonkers native Jadakiss has pointed to the Knicks’ success as evidence that his favorite team will always represent New York basketball, while the Nets will continue to live in the shadow of the blue and orange.
The member of the rap collective The Lox spoke about it during his conversation with streetball legend Shammgod on the “Check It Up Podcast,” highlighting that while he welcomes Brooklyn being represented in the NBA, the borough will have to live with the fact that New York will always be about the Knicks.
“Oh, the Nets. I don’t know if somebody got a curse. I don’t know what’s going on with the Nets cuz they just had a super team. They had a couple of [alright] squads and then it fell apart again,” Jadakiss
“I think they [Nets] got a little more fluidity being in Brooklyn [than New Jersey]. Okay. I think more people go to the game cuz it’s more accessible right there. You can take the train,” he added.
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Randle upbeat with Brooklyn
While the Nets have been sliding of late, those in the organization still believe that it is just a phase and they will be able to turn things around eventually. Among them is newly acquired forward Julius Randle.
The three-time All-Star was traded to Brooklyn from the Minnesota Timberwolves and his first impression of his new team has been positive, including how the Nets are steadily cultivating their relationship with the community.
“It’s been first class. They’ve done so much to help and being able to connect with the community. I’ve felt like it was really important for me to do that. Coming back here, it was one of the first things I wanted to do. It’s a first-class organization that really wants to help in any way possible to be the best basketball player and human,” Randle said.
Randle is making his return to New York with the Nets after spending five seasons with the Knicks from 2019 to 2024.
New York will forever be a Knicks town and that will never change. It, however, should not limit the Nets from trying to be the best team they can be and representing the borough and the organization the best way possible.
Winning would change the perception, but it appears it won’t happen any time soon.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 8:37 AM.