UPDATE: Wu-Tang Clan sparked the Knicks for a second-half comeback that is etched in the history books, as the home team overturned the biggest deficit in NBA playoffs history. Down at one stage by 29 points, the Knicks recorded a 107-106 win against the traveling Spurs are now one win away from the championship.
Cometh the hour, cometh the Wu-Tang Clan.
The hip-hop heroes stepped onto the hardwood of Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night (June 11) for a much-needed special delivery during game 4 of the NBA Finals.
RZA and Co. unleashed a medley of “Bring da Ruckus,” “Method Man” and “C.R.E.A.M.,” a rare moment to savor for the New York faithful who were watching on, crushed, and processing the New York Knicks’ first-half capitulation to the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
New York desperately needed a hip-hop miracle, a Wu-Tang lucky charm. The Knicks franchise, hunting its first NBA title in 53 years, fell behind 76-49 at the break. That scoreline, isn’t just bruising. It’s historic. No visiting team in NBA history has led by so many points at the half of a Finals game. And no other Finals team has hit as many first-half 3s as the Spurs (14).
The rap heavyweights are so invested in the Knicks’ run to the title, they’ve swapped out their social media profile with a “Wu York Knicks” logo. If they were feeling deflated at the break, they weren’t showing it. See below.
Earlier, Wu-Tang Clan’s official Instagram appeared to confirm that the group would be performing at the Garden. “Bring Da Hive Knicks in 5,” the Wu captioned a post on its Instagram Story.
And separately, on the new episode of “Wu Wednesdays,” RZA’s SiriusXM show on LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells Radio (Ch. 43), the rapper gave a hint of hip-hop action to come. “Those making it out to (MSG) tonight might be in for something special,” RZA teases at the top of the show. “Let’s see what goes on in the building tonight.”
Page Six first reported that the Wu would be heading to MSG as halftime’s entertainment with the NBA Finals returning to the Big Apple for the first time since 1999, which also saw the New York Knicks battling the San Antonio Spurs back then.
Regardless of the result, Wu-Tang Clan has a lot to look forward to. The act will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this December, alongside Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade and Luther Vandross. The group has been eligible for induction since 2018. RZA has called the honor “one of those pillars in life,” noting that his first house he ever bought was in Cleveland and he’s driven by and visited the Rock Hall “hundreds of times” in the years since.
For those keeping score, the Knicks went into game 4 with a 2-1 series lead. The Wu is currently on a break from the crew’s Wu-Tang: The Final Chamber tour. The farewell trek will resume with a North American leg kicking off in August. The crew will be making stops in Atlantic City, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Toronto, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas before hosting a final show on Oct. 4 in Phoenix. The legendary rap group was also inducted into Billboard‘s Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2025.
