The New York Knicks and the new pope have something in common now.
On Thursday, Robert Prevost was elected pope in the 2025 papal conclave in Vatican City. Born in Chicago, he is the first U.S. citizen to be elected pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV as his official name as pope.
But there’s another interesting fact about Leo XIV that has Knicks fans pumped: He’s a Villanova graduate. He earned his degree in mathematics from Villanova in 1977 after having finished his studies in the seminary a few years before.
As it so happens, Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson is also a Villanova graduate. He played three seasons for the Wildcats under Jay Wright, winning two national championships.
Brunson isn’t the only Knicks player with Villanova connections. Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges also played with Brunson for the Wildcats before their NBA careers.
Given that the Knicks have just gone 2-0 over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, people have rapidly reached the same conclusion: The Villanova connection is what’s willing the Knicks to victory:
“The new pope went to Villanova! This totally explains what’s happening with the Knicks,” Nicole Auerbach explained.
The new pope went to Villanova!
This totally explains what’s happening with the Knicks.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) May 8, 2025
Plenty more people agreed:
“The new Pope went to Villanova? Damn the Knicks about to win it all,” one user wrote.
“The new Pope is a Villanova graduate. The Celtics are cooked. The Knicks have God on their side,” wrote another.
“The new Pope went to Villanova and I’m supposed to believe the Celtics were gonna beat the nova Knicks.”
“Generational run from Villanova. Knicks are up 2-0, the first American Pope, what’s next?”
“A Villanova grad elected as pope right after a couple of divine-intervention-type wins for the Nova Knicks…”
All of that said, we don’t know what Prevost’s favorite sports teams are just yet. We know he was born in Chicago in 1955 and worked in the city for the first part of his life as a religious figure.
But soon after being ordained in 1982, Prevost left the United States to join the Augustinian mission in Peru. He did not return to the United States until 1998, when he was named provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago.
Will Pope Leo XIV be supporting the Knicks in the playoffs? Are the Celtics cooked?