The title won on Saturday by the New York Knicks against the San Antonio Spurs will significantly rehabilitate the image of the franchise owner James Dolan, accused of incompetence, personal vendettas and egocentrism for more than a quarter of a century.

"The dumbest owner in professional sports", "not a model of management", "the Einstein of incompetence", the septuagenarian has heard almost everything about himself since he took the reins of the franchise in 1999.

Upon his arrival, the Knicks had made 12 consecutive playoff appearances. They would only return six times in 19 years under the reign of James Dolan, son of cable magnate Charles Dolan, without ever looking like a contender.

Accused of owing his place solely to his lineage, the native of the eastern suburbs of New York made numerous coaching changes and recruited big names who would all fail, from Isiah Thomas to Phil Jackson, via Larry Brown.

Abrasive, resentful, avoiding the press, he has also accumulated controversies.

In 2006, he fired an executive who had complained of sexual harassment, a case that would end up in court and cost the Knicks nearly $12 million.

The perpetrator of the harassment, Isiah Thomas, would nonetheless be appointed by Dolan as coach of the New York Liberty, the women's basketball team controlled by the Knicks, in 2015.

Over the years, the stocky businessman has also banned dozens of people from Madison Square Garden, home of the Knicks, including former player Charles Oakley, a critic of his management, and lawyers for spectators who have sued him.

To top it all off, this close friend of Donald Trump, whom he invited to the third game of the NBA finals, has alienated some of the other franchise owners as well as the NBA leadership.

- "He's wrong most of the time" -

"He did damage the Knicks brand a little with these stories (...) and the poor sporting results," summarizes Stephen Master, professor of sports marketing at NYU, but "he did a very good job on the economic side."

Although revenue (quadrupled) increased less rapidly than NBA broadcasting rights (increased tenfold) between 2001 and 2025, income did not suffer from the team's difficult period.

The franchise is valued by Forbes magazine at $9.75 billion, which places it sixth among global sports clubs.

To his credit, the very successful renovation of Madison Square Garden (2011-13) preserved the original spirit of the place while adding suites that were much more lucrative than ordinary seats.

Stephen Master also highlights the franchise's partnership strategy.

"Many teams want 100 different sponsors," he said, "but MSG's (the Knicks' parent company) approach is to limit it to 15 or 20 top-tier partners."

Sports commentator Max Kellerman, one of Dolan's most virulent critics, acknowledges his merit in not cutting the team's budget.

"If he thinks it will make the team better," he said in 2017, "he will do it even if he is wrong most of the time."

After two decades of mismanagement, James Dolan finally decided to give free rein to a new recruit, former agent Leon Rose, appointed president in 2020.

The former representative of LeBron James, Allen Iverson or Carmelo Anthony will completely rebuild the team, unearthing specific profiles and often underrated players, such as Jalen Brunson or OG Anunoby.

"He has a high basketball IQ," Jalen Brunson said a few days ago. "He knows how to surround himself with the right people and he has succeeded in a city where everything he does is dissected."

For Stephen Master, it is too late for James Dolan to be recognized as a great owner, because only those whose teams "are consistently competitive" are recognized as such.

But after this unexpected title before the start of the playoffs, the first in 53 years, the fans "will soften up with him, because they are just happy."