Once again the crowd at Madison Square Garden rose to their feet to salute Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo as the Knicks played a tribute video to the former players during New York’s preseason matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Back at MSG for the first time since the Knicks dealt the duo to Minnesota in a deal for Karl-Anthony Towns, the pair got a warm ovation from Knicks fans as their service to the club was honored.
And that feeling was mutual.
Speaking to reporters before the game, DiVincenzo took time to thank Knicks fans and show his appreciation for them, after calling reports that he was “unhappy” about his potential role heading into the year as “untrue.”
“My love for Knicks fans is through the roof. I’ve said it, like it was one of the best years of my life playing here last year,” DiVincenzo said Sunday. “It’s something that you dream about [doing]. I didn’t plan, I didn’t want, I didn’t hope to leave. I didn’t sign a deal here thinking, ‘I’m signing a four-year deal, I hope I get traded a year in.’ So that’s that part of it.
“You always got to separate the business aspect and then with the fans. I think the fans will always have a special place in my heart. And also playing here, just being in here, having the energy in here, it’s just second to none. So a lot of people showed it to me but it was very mutual. You can’t even describe it. I don’t know how to get back to all the fans and everything, so we just put out a thank you because they’re amazing.”
Randle appeared in 330 games (all starts) for New York during his five seasons here, making the playoffs in three out of five seasons. DiVincenzo played just one season, posting a 50-32 record with the Knicks in 2023-24.
When asked about his favorite memory with the Knicks, DiVincenzo picked his game-winning three-pointer in Game 2 of the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I think the reason why is not because of the game, because of the situation, the reason why is because the floor was shaking,” he said. “We were in the timeout and the floor was shaking and I had never been a part of something like that.”
DiVincenzo also got a standing ovation when he was introduced among the T-Wolves starters.
Randle, who is continuing his rehab from a shoulder injury that curtailed his final season in New York, did not dress for the game and has yet to play in any of Minnesota’s preseason games.