Knicks fined $50,000 for barring newspaper from press conference

The New York Knicks have been fined $50,000 for "violating the NBA's rules regarding equal access for media," the league office announced Monday.

The team barred the New York Daily News from attending Friday's press conference which introduced No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett and Michigan's Ignas Brazdeikis, who was selected with the No. 47 selection.

The feud with the publication has been simmering for a while. After reports circulated in December that Knicks owner James Dolan would consider divesting in the team, the New York Daily News ran a headline that encouraged the Madison Square Garden Company chairman to do just that. At the time, the team responded by barring Daily News beat writer Stefan Bondy from attending a press conference with president Steve Mills.

Marc Stein of The New York Times - the 2019 winner of the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award for outstanding print journalism - wrote Friday that it was "long overdue" for the NBA to ensure equal access for its credentialed media members.

Following news of their discipline, the Knicks pledged to provide the required access moving forward.

"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. As we do throughout the year, we have and will continue to provide access to credentialed media as per the league's policy," a team statement read.