00:00We're here with Alan Houston, of course, a two-time All-Star Knicks legend.
00:04You, of course, were with the New York Knicks back in 2001.
00:08And I'm wondering if you could kind of reflect a little bit as to what the city was like
00:14in the aftermath of that, particularly once the NBA season did begin.
00:21Yeah, it was a very interesting time because it affected everyone.
00:27You know, sometimes as an athlete you feel a little isolated and kind of propped up.
00:33But this brought everybody in an emotion of, wow, here we are together.
00:40And on the court, we definitely felt like we needed to provide something even more than we did
00:46because we needed to provide just an outlet, a sense to think about something else
00:52and hopefully a little bit more inspiration just to keep moving on.
00:57And I think in sports, you have an opportunity to do that in times like this.
01:02But, you know, off the court, you go back into feeling like we're a part of this family
01:08that really got impacted.
01:10And all of us, even as athletes, had friends and families who were impacted as well.
01:17And you wanted to just be walking alongside them as well, even off the court.
01:23And we talk about this idea of people needing something.
01:27There was this rush to sort of create some sort of sense of normalcy,
01:31having the New York Stock Exchange open four days after the event,
01:33having the major sports leagues start on time or resume to give people something to hang their hats on.
01:39But also out of that came a lot of charitable efforts,
01:42including what Cantor has done dating back to E.D. Lutnick and Howard Lutnick starting Charity Day.
01:50You also have your own charity, Kids in Crisis,
01:52that specifically tries to help, I guess, kids who are in emergency situations without homes and needing shelter.
02:01Tell me a little bit more about it.
02:02Well, we want to provide an outlet and a safe space, and not just a physical safe space,
02:09but a mental, emotional, and spiritual safe space for kids who may be in crisis,
02:15and also kids who may be heading towards crisis as well.
02:18It's not those acute situations.
02:20So my wife is on the board of Kids in Crisis.
02:23We've served Fairfield, Connecticut as well.
02:27They have a text now, a new text hotline, because our children like to text, and they're anonymous,
02:34so they can just feel like they always are connected to someone who helps them,
02:38who wants to be there for them.
02:40And it's been amazing to see just having that place, because my wife and I have seven children,
02:48and when you see how blessed we are to be able to provide a safe place for them,
02:54a place where they can get nurtured, a character can be developed, and they can be tended to.
03:01But, you know, not everyone has that.
03:03And so we want to just be able to be a part of an organization, a part of a solution,
03:09a support system that can.
03:11Yeah.
03:12We talk about a city now, 25 years later, that is trying to find a way to still sort of
03:18reflect
03:18and remember what happened, but at the same time move forward.
03:22How do you ensure that 25 years from now we haven't sort of forgotten the lessons of 9-11?
03:28Well, we have to, we always, on this day, we always say remember, right, and reflect.
03:35And I think what we also have to do is also teach and train and equip the next generation to
03:42remember,
03:43but also give them principles, give them values, give them support,
03:48and let the memories be as fruitful as possible so that they can learn how to love, how to serve.
03:56And because we're all going to go through some trial, adversity in life, it's inevitable.
04:03And so this is a way, I think, for us to say, hey, we made it through this.
04:08There are some who are still remembering, who have lost, but through community, through love,
04:14through support, through faith, we get through it, and now we can pass that on to the next generation
04:20so they can have the same tools and equipment.
04:22And obviously what Cantor does helps to carry that on, and you can kind of hear the energy.
04:26Every time they bring in one of these celebrities, you kind of hear everyone on the floor perk up.
04:31I think probably the loudest cheers came for two New York Knicks, Carl Anthony Towns, a current New York Knick,
04:37and, of course, Alan Houston, a former New York Knick.
04:40And you were almost a champion.
04:42I mean, that 99 season where you guys were the underdog, I think, well, you're the first time in eighth
04:48seed
04:48who even made it basically as far as you did.
04:51And then, of course, this past year you had the New York Knicks, who, let's face it,
04:56were more or less underdogs come in and then take it all the way to the house.
04:59I mean, what must that be like for you as a Knicks legend to now see this younger generation
05:04finally bring a championship to the city?
05:06Fortunately for me, I still get to be involved with the team on a day-to-day basis.
05:12And even if I weren't, I would still have this attachment, this emotion,
05:17because when you wear that jersey and you play on that floor, there's nothing like it.
05:22You know what it feels like.
05:24And you have this brotherhood of the people who did go through it.
05:27It doesn't matter.
05:28You know, I had someone come up to me and say,
05:30this guy, he only played ten minutes.
05:32I was like, let me tell you something.
05:33When you play ten minutes in that jersey on that floor, you know what it's like.
05:37And so for us to see these guys, what they did not only for themselves and for the family,
05:44for their legacy, but what they did for the city in a time where not only the city needed it,
05:50but I think the world needed community.
05:53It needed something inspiring.
05:55You know, there's so much uncertainty.
05:57And I think what they did was so much bigger than the sport.
06:02And to walk around a month later, I walked around the city and just to see people appreciate and love
06:11being a New Yorker,
06:12being a part of this was special.
06:14And it's just a reflection of who they are.
06:17All the guys, just great guys.
06:19They love to compete, and they love the purpose for which they're doing it.
06:24All right.
06:25Well, Alan, yeah, the energy in this city last June, July was absolutely electric coming out of that.
06:31And hopefully, maybe they'll repeat this year.
06:33We're just going to take it one day at a time.
06:35But it's really enjoying the being in this moment and watching is a lot of fun.
06:40All right, Alan.
06:41Well, we appreciate you being here.
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