Cardinal Robert Prevost's election as pope is giving Knicks fans a boost. He's the first American pontiff and, like Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, went to Villanova.

Jalen Brunson and Pope Leo XIV are both Chicago kids who attended Villanova, so it only makes sense that the new Pope watches the Knicks. Former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost attended Villanova and, according to reporting from The Athletic, watches the Villanova Knicks as well as his alma mater’s hoops team.