New York Knicks Tickets : The Knicks Were The First Team To Have A Non Caucasian Player

The first game for the Knicks and BAA was played on November 1, 1931 against the Toronto Huskies as the New York Knickerbockers at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens, where the Knickerbockers won 68/66.The Knicks were the first team to have a non-Caucasian player on their roster, Japanese player Wataru Misaka, who joined the team in 1947.

The Knickerbockers' first head coach was Neil Cohalan, and the team was a consistent playoff contender in their early years. During the first decade of the NBA's existence, the Knickerbockers made the NBA Finals in three straight years (1951/53), and they were respected by basketball players and fans. For the remainder of the 1950s, the Knicks would field decent teams and make the playoffs in 1955, 1956 (where they lost a one-game playoff to the Syracuse Nationals), and 1959.

The Knicks were the first team to sign an African-American player to a contract, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton in 1950. Although Clifton was signed first, Earl Lloyd was the first African-American to actually play in an NBA game. And in that same season, Chuck Cooper became the first African-American to be drafted to an NBA team.

From 1960 to 1966, the Knicks fell on hard times, and they finished last in the NBA's Eastern Division every year. Some of the biggest losses in Knicks history occurred during this time. One notable loss occurred on March 2, 1962, as the Philadelphia Warriors' Wilt Chamberlain scored a NBA-record 100 points against the Knicks, and the Warriors won the game 169/147 in a game played in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

During the Knicks' slide into futility, there were signs of better things to come. In 1964, the Knicks drafted Willis Reed, who went on to become 1965's NBA Rookie of the Year. In 1965, the Knicks were given an extra first-round draft pick by the NBA (as were the San Francisco Warriors, who owned the worst record in the league's Western Division in 1964/65) and took advantage by drafting Bill Bradley and Dave Stallworth.

On April 2, 2008, James Dolan signed Indiana Pacers CEO and president Donnie Walsh to take over Isiah Thomas's role as team president. Upon the conclusion of the 2007/2008 regular season, Walsh fired Isiah Thomas, and on May 13, 2008, Walsh officially named former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni as head coach. D'Antoni signed a four-year, 24 million deal to coach the team.

On May 20, 2008, the Knicks received the 6th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, using it to select the Italian Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks also signed veteran guard Chris Duhon using a portion of their salary cap exemption.

On November 21, 2008, the Knicks dealt Jamal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors for Al Harrington. Not long after, New York then traded their leading scorer Zach Randolph along with Mardy Collins to the Los Angeles Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, with the intention of freeing cap space for the 2010 offseason, when top-flight players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amar'e Stoudemire may be available.

In 2009 the Knicks traded Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson to the Chicago Bulls for Larry Hughes, in addition to sending Malik Rose to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Chris Wilcox.

Additionally, the long standing controversy with Stephon Marbury ended when the two sides agreed to a buy-out of Marbury's contract, which allowed him to sign with the Celtics when he cleared waivers on February 27. In spite of a volatile roster, the Knicks improved by nine wins from the previous season, coinciding with the emergence of forward/center David Lee, who led the league with 65 double-doubles, and the continued development of guard Nate Robinson and swingman Wilson Chandler.

Shortly afterwards, New York executed a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in which the Knicks acquired Darko Milic in exchange for Quentin Richardson.