Vinicius Junior took advantage of the Christmas break in European soccer to treat himself to a little luxury that only great celebrities can enjoy: as a great fan of the NBA, the Brazilian star bought courtside tickets, obviously in the front row, to watch the first game of the traditional NBA Christmas Day: the exciting visit of the San Antonio Spurs to the New York Knicks at the legendary Madison Square Garden.
The duel lived up to expectations, as it brought together great figures of the league: the Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, the young figure of the Spurs, against Jalen Brunson and the Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns.
LeBron James shuts down taunting fan
While in the stands, there are usually Hollywood figures and former NBA players all over the court: from the inevitable film director, Spike Lee, actors such as Ben Stiller and Chris Rock, former tennis player John McEnroe, Whoopi Goldberg and former Knicks figures of all time: Bernard King, Jon Starks, Larry Johnson, Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, Carmelo Anthony, among others.
Prior to the game, Vini was welcomed like a global celebrity by Knicks forward Josh Hart, who welcomed him and exchanged jerseys with the Brazilian. Meanwhile, the official Garden page included him in its traditional greeting during one of the breaks in the game, where the cameras take all the celebrities present in the arena
This is not the first time Vini has attended an NBA game, nor in the Big Apple. Earlier this week he was at the game between the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, while last year, also in the Christmas season, he was at games between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Even Vini has also shared his collection of jerseys from famous players from the association
Knicks survive near-historic outing from Wemby in Christmas Day debut
On the court, the Knicks won 117-114 with a great game from their shooting guard, Mikal Bridges, who scored 41 points, his highest of the season, and carried the New York offense, which suffered against the dynamism of Wemby and the Spurs.
The French center scored 42 points and was just three points shy of tying the mark for a rookie player on Christmas Day. He also added 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks
In his second season with the Spurs, Wembanyama came into this game with recognition as the Western Conference Player of the Week. However, Bridges, another of the Knicks’ Villa Boys, made the important shots for a team in which its stars, KAT and Brunson, suffered at the rim. Bridges made 17 of 25 shots from the field, including six of nine from the arc, as the Knicks won their fifth straight game and improved their record to 20-10.
Towns added 21 points and nine rebounds, while Jalen Brunson scored 20 points. Josh Hart finished with 12 points, 12 boards and six assists, while Jeremy Sochan had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs.
