Can you really call yourself a Knicks fan if you haven’t yelled at a ref or stared down an opposing player? With every bad call or missed shot, doesn’t it feel like his temper speaks for an entire city starving for a championship? Spike Lee’s courtside passion often boils over. Is it all in the past now? Famous director and Knicks avid fan Spike Lee swiftly dons the fan’s cap as soon as he takes his courtside seat. It is nothing new. The passion is still the same. And then? It was so intense in the past that he wouldn’t hesitate to trash-talk the opponents’ team. And neither would former Pacers player Reggie Miller. However, the director has long assured that there’s no beef between the two. With the Knicks and Pacers gearing up to face each other for the ninth time in the playoffs, there’s buzz around the rivalry of the two legends who will be sitting off-court in the same building.
During the previous heated eight encounters, there was certainly a feud between Knicks superfan Lee and Pacers legend Miller, who helped the Pacers hold a slight edge by winning five of the previous eight series. Tension and feuding between the two elevated every time with each matchup. And as mentioned, the film director wasn’t going to take it the easy way.
The feud between Spike Lee and Reggie Miller is one of the most iconic fan-player rivalries in NBA history—a drama-filled subplot that added serious spice to the Knicks–Pacers playoff battles of the 1990s. Lee, the Knicks’ most vocal and visible superfan, made a habit of jawing at Miller from his courtside seat, fueling a personal rivalry that often felt like its own headline. Miller, never one to back down, embraced the spotlight and used it to elevate his game—most infamously in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, when he erupted for 25 points in the fourth quarter while exchanging barbs with Lee, capping it with his legendary “choke” gesture aimed directly at the filmmaker. Lee would often trash-talk, and so did Miller, who was quite adept at the skills. Who was better would be a different debate. But what was so iconic that it is still relevant?
What made the beef so memorable was its theatrical quality—Lee’s fiery energy matched against Miller’s cold-blooded swagger. Reggie even claimed the trash talk got personal, involving jabs at his Hall of Fame sister, Cheryl Miller, showing just how heated things got. Though the Knicks won that 1994 series, Miller would get his revenge the following year, knocking them out of the playoffs and forever etching the rivalry into NBA lore. It wasn’t just basketball—it was Broadway-level drama on hardwood, with Spike and Reggie stealing the show.
You know it’s serious if it gets featured on ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks.” However, Lee claims that it’s all in the past. The two have no beef at all!
Spike Lee drew the white flag!
In a recent interview, the Knicks fan was asked about his thoughts on the clash, which is bound to be as intense as the previous one, if not more. He explained that while fans would love to repeat his beef with Miller but it’s all in the past. “So if you’re gonna try to stir up some stuff, I guarantee you me and Reggie are not going for that. We’re cool. That’s me and Reggie, but them people in Indiana, that’s another thing,” Lee said.
He said the same at the beginning of the series. During his appearance at the Fanatics Fest, Lee was asked by host Kazeem Famuyide about the home opener game between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. Lee’s response was simple, as Miller retired decades ago, and with that, there’s no longer any feud between the two.
“You know I don’t like them but me and Reg are cool though… That sh** happened over 20 years ago. People still walk up to me and Reggie and ask us if we hate each other. There’s no hate between me and Reggie, it’s all good,” he said.
On the other hand, Miller isn’t done being the villain at Madison Square Garden. During his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, he said that he finds the fans’ chants amusing. “Actually, I’ll be a little hurt if I don’t hear, ‘Reggie sucks.’ I kind of want that,” Miller shared.
Whether the feud will be reignited or buried for good is up to Miller and Lee. But drama is certain when the old rival teams will return for the Eastern Conference finals.
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