BING BONG! The New York Knicks are back!
After 10 years, Knicks fans really have something to celebrate, winning a playoff series for the first time since the Carmelo Anthony era after cruising to a 4-1 series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
In recent seasons, when the Knicks win, all you can hear coming from Knicks fans are those cherished two words that let everyone know that the Knicks are in the winners' circle: Bing Bong!
Where did the catchphrase come from? When did it start? The Sporting News dives into the backstory of one of the most entertaining rallying cries in all of sports.
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When did the 'Bing Bong' catchphrase start?
What's become a frequent rallying cry for Knicks fans, both inside and outside the arena and across social media, when they win it's Bing Bong time.
It all began on opening night of the 2021-22 season after a double-overtime Knicks victory over the Boston Celtics. The thrilling win sent the rabid New York fans wild outside of Madison Square Garden.
In a timely reminder of why New York has some of the best basketball fans in the country, Knicks fans spilled into the street, triggering one of the most hilarious celebrations, capitalizing on the joy of a win over their old rivals.
SideTalk NYC, “New York’s one-minute street show” posted this hilarious clip from outside the Garden, which naturally sent the Twitter timeline into a frenzy, both for its chaos and comedy, which currently has 7.5 million views.
(Warning: clip contains strong language)
Knicks Season Opener pic.twitter.com/RkzFM5O1pi
— Sidetalk (@sidetalknyc) October 21, 2021
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Knicks guard Evan Fournier was the next to ride the "Bing Bong" wave, quote tweeting the original video with his realization of what it means to play for the New York fanbase: "what have I gotten myself into?"
What did I get myself into? 😂🤣😂🤣 https://t.co/4kujA9jYBj
— Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) October 21, 2021
Any video outside MSG is bringing plenty of energy and if its not "Bing Bong," you can find Knicks fans roasting Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, who has routinely put them to the sword, including dumping them out of the 2020-21 playoffs.
If it's not Young, you may catch a now trademark dig at Kevin Durant, who turned down the Knicks in free agency in 2019.
"Tell me a little something KD, don't you regret not coming to the Knicks?"
best fanbase in sports pic.twitter.com/uHBVdD9Xoy
— BingBongGuy (@BingBongGuy) April 22, 2023
What does Bing Bong mean?
At the 22-second mark of the original video, Knicks fan Jordie Bloom utters those now-famous words, telling Complex Sports that he is now known amongst his friends as the "Bing Bong Guy".
The Bing Bong noise itself is in reference to New York City's city's subway, which can be heard at the start of any Sidetalk video.
the @nyknicks community is amazing #bingbong
— BingBongGuy (@BingBongGuy) October 23, 2021
“It had kind of popped into my head as a direct correlation with Sidetalk,” Bloom said. “But there was no correlation with the Knicks whatsoever.”
"You walk out and all you see is a bunch of people who all they have on their face is joy, excitement, happiness, it was a beautiful sight.”
Trent Simonian and Jack Byrne, the two men behind Sidetalk, explained in further detail just exactly what Bing Bong means.
MORE: When was the last time the Knicks won a playoff series?
“It’s a double-reference that is 1. commonly said in our Coney Island episodes and was invented by Coney Island rapper Nems and 2. is the sound heard in the Sidetalk intro.
“Since it is a well-known Sidetalk reference and fans recognized us filming an episode outside of the Knicks game, Jordie saw us and threw in a ‘bing bong’ adlib. We added it into the Knicks episode as a reference to our previous episodes and it has since caught on as the Knicks’ unofficial slogan for the start of the season.”
The catchphrase is now a staple on 7th Avenue following a Knicks win, finding itself splashed across the front page of newspapers, tweets from the Knicks' official account, and emblazoned on t-shirts.
As they find themselves in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs and look to advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, expect plenty more "Bing Bongs" to coming out of MSG in the coming weeks.
