New York Knicks: Franchise Guide, Knickerbocker Heritage & Active Roster

From Dutch New Amsterdam to Washington Irving Masterpiece

The name Knickerbocker reaches back to the founding of New York City itself. In the 1620s, Dutch colonists arrived on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, establishing the commercial trading outpost of New Amsterdam. The Dutch settlers wore distinctive wool breeches rolled up and buckled neatly just below the knee, a practical fashion that became their signature visual hallmark.

In 1809, legendary New York author Washington Irving published his renowned satire, A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, writing under the eccentric pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker. The comedic narrative became an international sensation, capturing the imagination of readers throughout the Americas and Europe. In response, local society began referring to old line Dutch descendants as Knickerbockers, which swiftly broadened into a universal term of pride for all native New Yorkers.

Soon, the cultural personification of the city emerged as Father Knickerbocker: a dignified, genial gentleman dressed in colonial tricorn hat, powdered wig, tailored red coat, and rolled knickerbockers. Father Knickerbocker became to New York City what Uncle Sam was to the United States or John Bull to Great Britain. When modern baseball was codified in 1845, Alexander Cartwright named the historic first team the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club.