New York Jets quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh McCown attend the New York Knicks-Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center. 

Robby Sabo

He didn’t quite take the form of Joe Namath doing the town right back in the late 1960s, but he sure did seem to fit.

New York Jets young quarterback Sam Darnold attended the New York Knicks-Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center on Friday night ahead of his team’s crucial Week 7 matchup against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings.

The game turned out to be a good one. Young Caris LeVert of the Nets beat Tim Hardaway Jr. to the right, down the lane for the game-winning bucket with exactly one second to go in regulation.

Young Darnold was on hand to witness it all. By all accounts, he loved what he saw.

Playing for San Clemente, Darnold was a stud high school hoops star. In fact, by his account, his first love was basketball.

Both USC and the Jets are happy he chose football. This is especially the case for the pro team as, after starting 1-3, they’ve climbed to .500 after beating the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts in consecutive weeks at home.

This Sunday, Darnold is preparing to take on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings.

Through six games, Darnold’s thrown for 1,346 yards and nine touchdowns to seven interceptions on a 59.8 completion percentage. He’s on pace to throw for well over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns as the youngest starting quarterback since the merger.

The only thing the NBA New York City world can do now is wait for Sam Darnold’s first New York Knicks-Madison Square Garden appearance. No, he’ll never be Joe Namath, but that’s OK. He’d probably beat Joe Willie one-on-one.

Robby Sabo is a co-founder, CEO and credentialed New York Jets content creator for Jets X-Factor - Jet X, which includes Sabo's Sessions (in-depth film breakdowns) and Sabo with the Jets. Host: Underdog Jets Podcast with Wayne Chrebet and Sabo Radio. Member: Pro Football Writers of America. Coach: Port Jervis (NY) High School. Washed up strong safety and 400M runner. SEO: XL Media. Founder: Elite Sports NY - ESNY (Sold in 2020). SEO: XL Media. Email: robby.sabo[at]jetsxfactor.com