Instagram/@jhart
The New York Knicks’ Josh Hart, first and foremost, was concerned about his medical condition before he sent out a tremendous Christmas shout-out to his family. His holiday card had a biblical verse written in it, and at the same time, the argument about Hart’s ankle injury during the game caught the attention of a large portion of the audience. An athlete’s public identity being so closely connected with the genuine concern of his fans is reflected in this incident.
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Hart took to Instagram to greet everyone Merry Christmas, plus he added a quote from the Prophet Isaiah. The quote says, ‘For unto us a child is born, for unto us a son is given, and the government shall rest upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ The post was thus a very traditional holiday reflection of the NBA player.
Nevertheless, the comments under the post rapidly toggled from festive congratulations to health-related queries. Hart had twisted his ankle during the Christmas Day game and the injury was still very fresh in the minds of his fans. So along with the messages of support for his family, there were mostly urgent inquiries about his recovery.
‘Merry Knicksmas! Get well soon! 🧡💙,’ a fan expressed team loyalty and formed recovery wish in a happy way. ‘Heal up bro we love you and the fam big dawg,’ was the comment of another user who recognized the duality of concern, that is, family and health. So, the tone of the comments had been set.
The concern, however, changed and became more humorous and a bit desperate as it went on. A scenario was created where people were actually giving their support by offering their own body parts. ‘Josh I’ll give you one of my ankles if needed,’ one person wrote. This was not the only offer that was made. Another user asked, ‘Do you need me to give you my ankle,’ while the third comment read, ‘Josh you can have my ankle bro, I’m good for real 😭😭.’
The intensity of the offers kept increasing. One person stated, ‘JOSH! TAKE MY FUCKING ANKLE MAN .. I don’t need that shit.’ The large number of these sacrificial proposals formed a weird but at the same time very heartfelt thread, indicating how much Hart’s being on the court is valued by the team’s fans. Even a reference to teammate Jalen Brunson’s own history with ankle issues was made: ‘Man Josh just get one of Jalen spare ankles out the back. He’s had plenty of.’
Amidst all the chaos over ankles, other fans provided more conventional support. One of them wrote: ‘Hope your ankle feels better.’ Another supporter commented, ‘Rest up that ankle fam.’ A particularly touching message came from someone identifying as a grandmother: ‘Hope your ankle is healing….please take good care of yourself! Sending big hugs and prayers……I’m a Grandma with 5 grandchildren — we all love you, Josh Hart!!’
Not every comment referred to Hart’s injury. He was very much appreciated for his family life, and some notes such as ‘Your kids are adorable. Merry Christmas!🎄’ and ‘Beautiful family merry Christmas 🎄🎁 🎅🏻✨.’ Prevalent was the religious tone of Hart’s original caption and some appreciated that. ‘🙏🎄Amen. Merry Christmas to your beautiful family,’ was one reply.
However, one comment was in absolute contrast trying to debate the theological implications of Hart’s Bible verse. The user was contradicting the claim of Jesus’ divinity by stating, ‘You Christians should use your logic for once… Jesus isn’t God and never claimed to be God.’ This comment was an exception in a large number of supportive and health-focused responses that were largely ignored by the flow of the conversation.
The overall reaction shows the audience’s opinion very clearly. To the public, Josh Hart is not simply a player that shares a holiday verse; he is a key player of the New York Knicks team that is gaining momentum. His health is not a private issue but a common ground for anxiety and even in this case, humorous solidarity. The many fans that were ready to give away their own ankles as spare parts for Hart is a very modern representation of sports fandom—silly, exaggerated, and totally sincere.
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The rest of the season for the Knicks will see Hart’s healing process being watched very closely. The Christmas Day post, which was meant to be a time of tranquility and meditation, instead turned out to be a concerned, hopeful, and even a somewhat weird black market for ligaments. It reminds professional athletes that even personal messages are read through the lens of their professional physicality.