Matt Ryan Excited to Play For Hometown Knicks

The New York Knicks have a new hometown hero.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 7, 2024

Apr 5, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Matt Ryan (37) looks on against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

Not many hometown kids get to play for the New York Knicks, but Matt Ryan is an exception.

Ryan, 27, signed with the Knicks earlier this week and will have a chance to make his team debut on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

For Ryan, putting on the jersey for the team he grew up watching is exciting.

“It’s extremely special. But at the end of the day, I know playing for [Thibodeau] is going to require a tremendous amount of focus every day, blocking out everything else that’s going on," Ryan said h/t Posting and Toasting. "It’s very lucky, a unique circumstance to come home, play for the Knicks as a Westchester kid. But I’m locked in.”

Ryan has become a journeyman in the NBA during his four seasons in the league. He started out in 2021-22, appearing in one game for the Boston Celtics before heading out west to join the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2022-23 season. He was waived after 12 games with the Lakers before he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he spent the rest of the season playing in 22 games.

Last year, Ryan played 28 games for the New Orleans Pelicans, but now finds himself back to where it all started in New York. Ryan is proud for his journey to have come full circle.

“The first thing I’ll say is, from my background to where I am now, for me the NBA wasn’t supposed to be easy," Ryan said. “I wasn’t a high pick, I went to three colleges, I sat out a year. I’ve kind of bounced around teams here at the beginning of my career. It kind of makes sense for me. It was never supposed to be easy. You’ve got 450 guys in this league, probably 50 guys are rock-solid stars and the other guys got to figure out where to fit in. That’s the category I’m in. But I’ve figured my skill that I can carry from team to team. I figured out my work ethic that no matter what jersey I put on, no matter what city I’m in, I can carry that with me.”

Ryan's work ethic should be welcomed by coach Tom Thibodeau as he hopes to give the Knicks a spark for their depth.

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Published Nov 7, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.