‘Couldn’t Grab’ – John McEnroe Mocks Own Basketball Skills While Remembering NY Knicks on French Open Broadcast

John McEnroe is a passionate New York Knicks fan and has been a long-time supporter of the NBA franchise. The tennis legend reminisced about the Knicks’ dominance in the 1970s and 1990s while making a hilarious quip about his own basketball skills.

John McEnroe Makes Hilarious Remark About His Dunking Skills

McEnroe is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 7 Grand Slam titles and 77 career titles. The American also retains a passionate interest in basketball and is a huge New York Knicks fan.

During “The Mac Zone” watchalong of the opening day of the French Open alongside his brother, Patrick McEnroe, the 67-year-old spoke about the Knicks’ dominant era in the early 1970s, when they won two NBA titles.

McEnroe also spoke about his disappointment at the Knicks’ failure to win the NBA Championship in the 1990s, especially in the year Michael Jordan took a break from the sport to try out baseball.

“The Knicks won two titles before I was 14. So my thinking was, ‘Okay, it’s not going to happen all the time. It’s going to happen somewhat regularly. In my humble estimation, the greatest city in the world. So, 53 years later, the year Jordan didn’t play they got to the Finals. I saw John Stockton, I was like, ‘Why did you have to keep shooting? Give it to Patrick Ewing,’” he said.

As the show’s producer put a mock-up image of McEnroe dunking on the screen, he made a hilarious dig about his own basketball skills during his high school days.

“I could dunk in high school… a softball. I couldn’t grab a basketball,” he added.

The Knicks are currently on a dominant run in the NBA Playoffs, having won their last 10 games. They are one win away against the Cleveland Cavaliers from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

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McEnroe has often been spotted sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden over the years, and will be keen to cheer the Knicks on to the NBA Championship this year.

Meanwhile, McEnroe has been working as a commentator since retiring and often serves as an analyst at Grand Slam tournaments. The four-time US Open champion is a central figure in TNT Sports’ coverage of the 2026 French Open in the United States, with “The Mac Zone,” which aims to deliver interactive commentary from Stade Roland Garros.