A devoted New York Knicks supporter who journeyed to Vatican City to greet Pope Leo in Saint Peter's Square has recounted his memorable interaction with the pontiff just ahead of the NBA Finals.
Viral Moment at the Vatican
American Robbie DeLasho captured a video of himself calling out to the Pope, a Chicago native and Villanova University graduate—the same alma mater as Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart. In the clip, DeLasho can be heard shouting, 'Pope Leo! Go Knicks! Knicks in four!' while the passing Pope responded with a thumbs up.
Speaking to CBS News, DeLasho relished his brief audience with His Holiness. 'You saw he gave me that thumbs up and a little like, little double thumbs up. I was like, yeah, yeah, he saw it,' DeLasho said.
While it remains unclear if Pope Leo has a particular preference in the Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, DeLasho hopes for some divine intervention on New York's behalf.
A Student's Plan
DeLasho, a student at St. John's University in New York, even informed his classmates and professors at the Catholic school of his intention to wear a Knicks shirt to the Vatican. 'I told my professor right away, I was like, just letting you know, I'm wearing a Knicks shirt and I'm getting his attention and I hope something comes out of it,' he recalled.
'My classmates were like, why would you not dress up? You're going to see the Pope. You're going to be at the Vatican. I was like, no, like, this is my plan. I'm doing it.'
DeLasho added, 'Even just to make eye contact with the Pope. It's one thing, but then also he's going to like make the notion about my team, assuming that he understood what I was trying to do. That's even crazier because obviously I've been, I'm a diehard Knicks fan.'
Divine Intervention?
Reflecting on whether the Pope's gesture could influence the series, DeLasho joked, 'Pope Leo can't go out there and guard Wemby [Spurs star Victor Wembanyama], so I don't know. But I'd like to hope that maybe it did something. Maybe it did something.'
The Knicks open their NBA Finals campaign on the road in San Antonio on Wednesday night.
