Poor court conditions at Westchester County Center have forced the Westchester Knicks to Manhattan, as their 2019 opener will be held at Madison Square Garden.
Members of the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks certainly dream of one day taking the court at Madison Square Garden. This more than likely isn’t the way they envisioned that moment happening, but it’s come a bit earlier than anticipated.
Westchester’s 2019 season opener will be held at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The unexpected transplant comes after issues with the playing surface at their normal home of Westchester County Center in White Plains.
Such issues, described as “unforeseen” in a team statement, already postponed Westchester’s original season debut on Saturday night against Raptors 905. Instead, they’ll host the Lakeland Magic at The World’s Most Famous Arena (7:00 p.m. ET, MSG).
This will be the first G League contest held at the home of the NBA’s New York Knicks. St. John’s men’s basketball also uses the arena as a part-time home, with their own season debut at the arena scheduled for Dec. 7 against West Virginia.
Other basketball tenants have included the WBL’s New York Stars (1979-80) and the WNBA’s New York Liberty (1997-2017).
The Westchester Knicks have been New York’s G League affiliate since 2014. They have been one of the G League’s more consistent teams over the prior two seasons, tallying a 61-39 record.
The team won their first playoff round last season, topping the Windy City Bulls 95-82 in the single-game opener in White Plains. New York call-ups from Westchester include Jimmer Fredette, Trey Burke, Langston Galloway and Nigel Hayes.
Westchester County Center has some time to work on their court issues before the Knicks take the floor again. Their next scheduled home game comes November 18 against Grand Rapids.
