Spike Lee Gifts Pope Leo XIV Custom Knicks Jersey in Video from Vatican Ceremony
Spike Lee couldn't let his visit to the Vatican pass without presenting noted sports fan Pope Leo XIV with a New York Knicks jersey.
The Academy Award-winning filmmaker presented Pope Leo with a custom No. 14 jersey and his name on the back of it.
After being elected as the new Pope in May, Leo, a Chicago native, was revealed to be a White Sox fan. He even attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and Houston Astros, which was a 5-3 victory for Chicago.
Lee is one of many people from the filmmaking community who are in the Vatican this weekend for the first-of-its-kind world of cinema event hosted by Leo. Greta Gerwig, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen and Monica Bellucci were also among those in attendance.
Pope Leo delivered a speech to the assembled crowd about the importance of film as a medium that "articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express."
Lee seemed to enjoy his time at the event, as he called it a "great day" after getting to meet the Pope.
Who knows, perhaps the next time Leo visits the United States, Lee can arrange for him to be his guest in the courtside seats at Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks play.
The Knicks don't currently have a player on the roster who wears No. 14. MarJon Beauchamp used it for his six-game stint with the club during the 2024-25 season.
A total of 29 players have worn jersey No. 14 for the Knicks, tied 4 and 5 as the most-used jersey number in franchise history.
