The New York Knicks Center has come out of retirement to return to Minnesota

On December 20, 2024By Littum

A New York Knicks center was warmly welcomed back to Minneapolis this week. Karl-Anthony Towns also faces the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Before the Knicks face the Timberwolves Thursday night (9:30 p.m. MSG/TNT), one of their own was honored at his alma mater Wednesday when Jericho Sims’ number was retired at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. His Knicks teammates were in attendance at the party, and team captain Jalen Brunson was, in his humorous words, “bullied” into giving a speech in Sims’ honor.

“I feel like every person has had a stepping stone (where) their journey starts. Obviously, this is home for you,” Brunson said in video from Darren Wolfson of KSTP. “Seeing the love you get here … it’s a real joy to watch … Most importantly, we love you, we love your work ethic, we love what you bring to the team.”

Fun night at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis. #Knicks big and alum Jericho Sims had his jersey retired. Many #NYKnicks luminaries were there including Thibs, Rosas, KAT and Jalen Brunson. Brunson even stepped to the microphone and had a good message: pic.twitter.com/WeyNOIAb2G

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) 19 December 2024

While Sims has lingered in big-city trade rumors, Wednesday offered a glorious break to recognize his hardwood journey. Sims bar no. 20 as a Puma, and he now wears those digits as a Knick after moving back for his fourth NBA season.

The center averaged a double-double over his later two seasons at Cristo Rey Jesuit and left the program as the program’s leading scorer. Sims parlayed his success into attention from national recruiters, and he eventually came to Texas for four seasons with the Longhorns before the Knicks made him the penultimate pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Sims’ family has left a lasting impact on Minneapolis athletics: his father Charles starred for the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gopher program, as did his older brother Dominique, who served as a linebacker on the football team. Fellow siblings Jason and Ty joined Jericho at the Division I basketball level, where they replicated Northern Iowa and Kansas State, respectively.

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