"I grew up in a Black neighbourhood” – Howard Stern rants about Knicks players being racist 

Once known as the king of media, Howard Stern doesn't like the fact that New York Knicks players don't approach him at games the same way they do Tracy Morgan. According to Stern, when he sits courtside at Madison Square Garden, the referees are the only ones who approach him as fans of his and his show.

From the sounds of things, Stern doesn't understand why players don't approach him, but referees do. During a recent episode of his Howard Stern Show, he ranted about not being recognized at games, chalking it up to him being a quote-unquote "white guy".

"I’ll be sitting next to Tracy Morgan or Chris Rock. You know, they seat you where they seat you. And a lot of times when I’m there, I’m next to Tracy Morgan, who is so funny. And he’s sitting there and like, a couple of the players will come over.

"They like give him that bro shake and stuff. And I’m like — these guys should hug me too,” Stern continued. “I mean, what am I? I grew up in a Black neighborhood, you know what I mean? I mean they should know that. But I get ignored.”

Of course, this had led many to wonder, 'Is Howard Stern racist?' which doesn't sound like the case.

According to Stern, he hopes that players don't approach him for racial reasons rather than because they don't know who he is. In his mind, fame and being recognized are both incredibly important.

Miami Heat v New York Knicks - Game Two

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Howard Stern questions why only referees recognize him, laments not being recognized by players

From the sounds of things, Howard Stern isn't quite sure why referees are the only ones to recognize him. While many have wondered, 'Is Howard Stern racist?' it sounds as though he isn't happy the young players of today's NBA don't recognize him.

Cleveland Cavaliers v New York Knicks

“I want them to come over and go, ‘Hey Howard, fan of the show!’ ... . I don’t get that. You know who comes up to me sometimes — the referees. White guys and Black guys, they’ll come up to me, White referees and Black. Like, ‘Hey Howard, hey.’ But yeah, a lot of the White referees. So I’m like, oh, is everything racial now?

“I just get upset. I’m like, you know, fame to me is very important. I’ll admit it. I like people to recognize me,” Stern said. “I’d like to think it’s a white thing, not my personality. I hope it’s racial. That’s all.”

Given that the average age of NBA players is just 26 years old, it sounds as though Howard Stern may simply be a figure recognized by older generations. Of course, for the man who was previously known as the king of media, that may be a tough pill to swallow.

Whether he winds up sitting courtside at future Knicks games, only time will tell.