New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
By Michael Grant on

If the New York Knicks were a team of destiny, perhaps Fred Katz’s first-ever book will be a work of destiny.

How else could you explain the fact that a book that was supposed to be released this spring was delayed, and as a result, it will now include the Knicks’ championship run?

Under the Bright Lights: The Revival of the New York Knicks is scheduled for release in February 2027 and is now available for pre-order. In the book, the Senior NBA Writer for The Athletic chronicles how the Knicks built a championship team. We recently caught up with Katz, who has dreamed of writing a book since he was eight years old.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

How did this idea originate?

Fred Katz: “The original pitch for the book was that it would be about the rise of the Knicks, from 20 years in the cellar to their return to competitiveness. (The manuscript) was due in October 2025 and was then scheduled to come out in the spring of 2026. Then, last year happened. They made the conference finals. They fired Tom Thibodeau. We all agreed, ‘Hey, it’s not a narrative ending when they fire the coach. It needs another year.’ So we gave it another year. It was pushed back.”

Were you amazed at how it all worked out for you?

“We figured we’d go through one more year and see what happened. I’ve been working on it the whole time. I just hadn’t made it public, but the team knew about it. Then, by total coincidence, it ends up being the best-timed book ever. They end up winning the title, and now it’s about how the Knicks returned to being champions for the first time in 53 years. But it really takes place over the last two seasons.”

Why did you wait until the NBA Finals to officially announce the book’s release?

“This was a business decision. (Simon & Schuster) decided to put out the pre-order link once the Knicks made the Finals. That wasn’t a coincidence at all. That’s people wanting to capitalize on a moment that is really ginormous for the target demographic of this book.

“My effort is to make this so it’s not just for Knicks fans. It’s not even just for basketball fans. It’s a story of resilience, intelligence, and planning, and of overcoming obstacles to create greatness out of nothing. I think there are a lot of lessons in there that apply to life, not just sports.”

What has the process been like?

“Working on it for two years has given me tons of time to dig deep into the characters, so it’s not just: ‘This happened, and then this happened.’ It’s about people, with character development, and it teaches you who Jalen Brunson is and why he is the way he is. Who Mike Brown is and why he is the way he is. Who Josh Hart is and why he is the way he is. I’ve spoken to family members, old coaches, and old teachers.”

When did you first become interested in becoming an author someday?

“When I was eight, between second and third grade, I started my own book company. I gave myself a summer job on the street in New York City. I started writing books. I wrote one about the solar system. I wrote another called “Little Blue Riding Hood,” which you’ll never believe was just a rip-off of “Little Red Riding Hood.” I was eight. These weren’t genius works. There were two sentences per page. But my parents would take me to Staples to get them bound, and I would sell them on the street. No one would buy them except for this one guy who lived near us.”

Since you’ve never written a book before, did you speak with any fellow writers?

“Marcus Thompson, I’ve been annoying him constantly. He’s the best. Tim MacMahon and Chris Herring. Those three for sure. Yaron Weitzman. Just kind of pick their brains and ask for advice. I’m always trying to talk to people who I feel either have experience I don’t have or are better than me. I ended up hanging out with J.A. Adande at one point during the Finals. I’m not particularly close with J.A., but I’ve just loved his work since I was a kid, and he knows this. I try not to creep him out. I try not to fanboy out with him.”

What was the atmosphere like in Game 3, with the President in attendance?

“That was one of the strangest vibes I’ve ever had at a basketball game. Everyone was so pumped for the Knicks to finally host a Finals game for the first time in 27 years. Politics aside, I think what probably happened is that because there was so much excess security, everyone had to get there so early, and it was such a chore to get there, the crowd was mundane by Garden standards. It was a weird day for the players on both teams, too, because they had to get to the game super early to be pre-screened. It was just a very, very strange day and strange environment.”

What was it like to be there for the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history?

“It was crazy. I could do this job for another 50 years and never cover a better game than that one. The crowd was nuts the entire way. They were just ready to pop, and that comeback was like nothing I’ve ever seen. The unbelievably clutch block by OG Anunoby, then the unbelievably clutch tip-in by OG Anunoby to win the game. Karl-Anthony Towns’ defensive play at the end. It was sort of team-of-destiny stuff. There’s always that team every year that feels like the team of destiny. The Knicks had a few of those moments during this playoff run.”

Will there be any celebrity Knicks fans featured in the book?

“Tracy Morgan was nice enough to talk to me. It’s not gratuitous, like I’m just going to put a famous person in the book because he would talk to me. There’s something relevant to him. I’ve always loved Tracy Morgan since I was a kid, so the fact that he was so nice and fantastic to talk to me was everything. My brother’s obsessed with Tracy Morgan, too. I immediately called my brother. ‘You’re never going to believe this,’ I said, and I played the audio of the whole interview. We were both just dying. He was amazing. That’s definitely the most memorable interview I’ve ever done.”

Where will you be on Thursday during the championship parade?

“It’s not fully formed yet, and I’ve never covered a championship parade, so I don’t totally know how it’s going to work. I think I’m going to be at one of three spots in the parade. You can be at the start, at the end, at City Hall, or on a designated media float. That’s really just camera people, because otherwise you’re not interacting with anybody to get your own stuff. I think I’ll be at the start, but I have to double-check what that means. I don’t have the slightest clue.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.

View all posts by Michael Grant