Knicks fined $50,000 for banning media from press conference

NEW YORK (UPI) — The New York Knicks were fined $50,000 by the NBA Monday for violating the league’s rules about equal access for media. The league announced the fine for the Knicks not giving the New York Daily News access to their post-draft news conference on Friday. “The Knicks acknowledge that we did not comply with the NBA’s media policy and made an error in interpreting Friday’s announcement as an invite-only event,” the team said in a statement. “As we do throughout the year, we have and will continue to provide access to credentialed media as per the league’s policy.” No other New York media did not appear on the guest list to introduce the team’s two draft picks, RJ Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis. The Professional Basketball Writers Association sent out an official statement with regards to the New York Daily News being held out of the press conference. “The New York Knicks’ decision to ban New York Daily News journalists from RJ Barrett and Ignas Brazdeiki’s introductory news conference Friday was unprofessional and unacceptable,” writers association president Josh Robbins wrote. “James Dolan, the owner of the Knicks franchise, previously has said that barring Daily News employees from media availabilities sends the Daily News ‘a message.’ In reality, the only message he is sending is that he is a bully who retaliates against legitimate news outlets that publish content he dislikes.” Reporting by Matt Loede