06/15/2026
The New York Knicks get their name from “Knickerbockers,” a nickname connected to early Dutch heritage in New York. The term originally referred to the loose, baggy, knee-length pants worn by Dutch settlers in colonial times, and over time “Knickerbocker” became a nickname for New Yorkers themselves. When the basketball team was founded in 1946, ownership wanted something that felt distinctly tied to New York’s identity and history, so they chose New York Knickerbockers, later shortened to Knicks. Even though most fans today think of basketball before old fashioned clothing, the name is actually a small piece of the city’s colonial past carried into modern sports.