Knicks See Lowest Home Crowd at MSG in over 13 Years After Spike Lee Drama

The New York Knicks drew their smallest crowd at Madison Square Garden in more than 13 years for Wednesday's loss to the Utah Jazz. 

According to Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press, the attendance was announced as 16,588, which is well below MSG's capacity of 19,812. It was the team's lowest announced attendance since Dec. 13, 2006.

It's worth noting that attendance numbers are announced as tickets sold, not the number of fans who are actually in attendance. The broadcast of the game showed large swaths of empty seats. 

The attendance drop came just days after the Knicks got into a public spat with director Spike Lee, perhaps the franchise's most famous and loyal fan. 

Lee appeared on ESPN's First Take on Tuesday and said he would not attend another Knicks game this season. He said he's become disillusioned by harassment from owner James Dolan. The issue between Lee and the Knicks stems from the director not being allowed to use an employee entrance to get into his seats for Monday's game against the Houston Rockets. 

"I'm being harassed by James Dolan, and I don't know why," Lee said. "How is it the wrong entrance if I've been using the same entrance for 28 years? It's Garden spin."

The Knicks released a statement Tuesday calling Lee's claims "laughable": 

"The idea that Spike Lee is a victim because we have repeatedly asked him to not use our employee entrance and instead use a dedicated VIP entrance—which is used by every other celebrity who enters The Garden—is laughable. It's disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama. He is welcome to come to The Garden anytime via the VIP or general entrance; just not through our employee entrance, which is what he and Jim agreed to last night when they shook hands."

Lee's feud with the Knicks is the latest in a series of public relations nightmares involving Dolan, who has long been at the center of fan criticism. He kicked former Knicks big man Charles Oakley out of Madison Square Garden after an altercation in 2017 and banned him indefinitely, though a civil trespass order against Oakley lapsed two years ago and the Knicks said in February the ban has ended, per The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov.

Dolan also has had other fans removed on several occasions when they've chanted for him to sell the franchise.