Knicks hoping to end long losing streak for Dolan family teams

The New York Knicks are trying to end a trying 47-year championship drought in this year’s NBA playoffs. If that sounds like a painful stretch, consider that the Dolan family has endured a drought that has stretched for a total of 96 seasons.

James Dolan and the New York branch of the family bought the Knicks and Rangers in 1995 — right after the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. It has been downhill ever since, with 27 straight seasons of disappointment for the Rangers, who missed the playoffs this year, and 26 for the Knicks. The latter, maybe this year’s most improved team in the NBA, are in the first round of the playoffs.

You can add to that 22 seasons for the WNBA’s New York Liberty, which was founded by Dolan in 1997 and sold in January 2019 to Brooklyn Nets Owner Joe Tsai.

The Cleveland branch of the family — Larry Dolan (James’ uncle) and his son, Paul — owns MLB’s Cleveland Indians, who have not won a World Series in 21 years of the family’s control. 

No current sports team-owning family has gone through a longer drought than the Dolans. 

There are, on the other hand, several NBA franchises that have had longer championship droughts than the Knicks. The Sacramento Kings have not won one in 70 seasons.