Knicks fan opens up on rare exchange with Pope Leo and reveals why New York has a prayer to win NBA Finals
A fan of the New York Knicks who took a trip to Vatican City to greet Pope Leo in Saint Peter’s Square recalled the interaction he had with His Holiness ahead of the NBA Finals.
American Robbie DeLasho recorded a video of himself calling out to the Pope, a Chicago native and a graduate of Villanova University – the same school Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart attended.
DeLasho could be heard yelling, ‘Pope Leo! Go Knicks! Knicks in four!’ while the passing Pope gave him a thumbs up.
Speaking to CBS News, DeLasho relished in his brief audience with His Holiness.
‘You saw he gave me that thumbs up and a little like, little double thumbs up. I was like, yeah, yeah, he saw it,’ DeLasho said.
While it’s unclear if Pope Leo has a particular side in the Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, DeLasho hopes there’s some divine intervention on New York’s behalf.
A New York Knicks fan opened up about his viral interaction with Pope Leo in St. Peter’s Square
Robbie DeLasho wore a Knicks shirt to the public viewing and shouted ‘Knicks in 4’ to the Pope
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Does a Knicks fan seeking the Pope’s blessing show team passion or just superstition gone too far?
‘I mean, I’d like to hope so. Pope Leo can’t go out there and guard Wemby [Spurs star Victor Wembanyama], so I don’t know,’ DeLasho recalled. ‘But I’d like to hope that maybe it did something. Maybe it did something.’
DeLasho, a student at St. John’s University in New York, even told his classmates and professors at the Catholic school of his plan to wear a Knicks shirt to the Vatican.
‘I told my professor right away, I was like, just letting you know, I’m wearing a Knicks shirt and I’m getting his attention and I hope something comes out of it,’ he recalled.
‘My classmates were like, why would you not dress up? You’re going to see the Pope. You’re going to be at the Vatican. I was like, no, like, this is my plan. I’m doing it.’
DeLasho added, ‘Even just to make eye contact with the Pope. It’s one thing, but then also he’s going to like make the notion about my team, assuming that he understood what I was trying to do. That’s even crazier because obviously I’ve been, I’m a diehard Knicks fan.’
The Knicks open their NBA Finals campaign on the road in San Antonio on Wednesday night.
