James Dolan attends Knicks game amid pressure to sell franchise after sexual assault lawsuit controversy

James Dolan was at his usual seat at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night as his New York Knicks team welcomed the Houston Rockets. He attended the game despite a federal lawsuit for sexual assault being filed against him in Los Angeles, California.

The MSG Sports executive chairman and CEO is a regular at Knicks games, and nothing changed after news of the lawsuit made headlines. Some fans are calling for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to put pressure on Dolan to sell the Knicks.

The Knicks have been under Dolan's control since the 1998-99 season when they made the NBA Finals. However, they have only made the playoffs eight more times since then, and fans have been frustrated by how the billionaire is handling the franchise.

According to Stefanie Dazio and Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press, a woman named Kellye Croft filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Dolan and Harvey Weinstein in Los Angeles. Croft worked as a massage therapist on tour with The Eagles in 2013 when the alleged incident happened.

Croft accused Dolan of using his "power and influence" to pressure her into having sex with him. Dolan's band, JD & The Straight Show, opened for The Eagles during the tour. She also claimed that Dolan flew her to meet Weinstein, who is imprisoned for multiple sexual assault convictions.

The lawsuit alleged that Dolan knew that his friend was doing terrible things but did nothing about it. Dolan was a part of the board of directors of Weinstein's production company from 2015 to 2016. Croft's lawsuit is not the first one Dolan faced due to his friendship with Weinstein.

"I have suffered so profoundly because of what James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein did to me years ago, and it was not an easy decision to come forward and seek justice," Croft said. "But for me, to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability."

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Will the NBA force James Dolan to sell the New York Knicks?

Will Adam Silver force James Dolan out of the league?

The NBA is likely aware of the lawsuit filed against James Dolan of the New York Knicks.

The league has already forced two owners to sell their franchises for misconduct in the past. Donald Sterling was pressured into selling the LA Clippers after an audio of him saying racist remarks was leaked.

Sterling was banned by the NBA permanently due to the controversy and was forced to sell his franchise to Steve Ballmer in 2014. Former Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was accused of having racist and misogynistic behavior while creating a toxic working environment in late 2021.

After a thorough investigation, the league suspended Sarver for a year and fined him $10 million. The public pressure was eventually too much for the billionaire, and he sold the Suns to Mat Ishbia a year later.

The NBA will likely have to wait for James Dolan's case to be resolved before proceeding in the same direction. The Knicks playing in one of the biggest markets in the United States makes it a complicated case for Silver and the league.

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