New York Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart is still adjusting to life as a NBA champ. Thankfully, some things — like his home life with his wife, Shannon Hart (née Phillips), and their 3-year-old twins — stay the same, no matter what.
“You’re getting pulled in so many different directions, it’s always good to have a good foundation — a sounding board to kind of always come back to,” Hart, 31, exclusively told Us on Thursday, August 20, while discussing his new role as Scouting America ambassador.
“And obviously, you know, they’re there to support you through all those moments and coach those, you know, appearances with you or work out with you, you know — those kind of things,” he continued of how vital his wife’s support has been since he made his NBA debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on October 20, 2017. “So for me, it’s been a great time because obviously we travel so much during the year and, you know, game days are basically, ‘Walk through, take a nap and then get in the car and go.’”
He added, “So it’s been great to kind of, obviously, have that sounding board and support system — like I said — to always kind of ball back on and, you know, comfort [you].”
Hart and his wife have been together since August 2021 and share 3-year-old twin boys Hendrix and Haze. After joining the Knicks in 2023 after the franchise acquired the guard via a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for three players — Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono and Svi Mykhailiuk — and a future draft pick, Hart helped the Knicks win their first NBA Finals Championship over 50 years.
Now that he has a NBA ring to go with his NCAA championship hardware (Hart was a member of the 2016 Villanova Wildcats championship team), the athlete is looking to the future while navigating superstardom and keeping one foot firmly planted on the ground thanks to his family.
“August has been the most chill time that I’ve kind of had, and I still have stuff that I’m doing,” he said of his post-championship summer. “I’m out east and now I’m able to kind of separate myself from it and appreciate it. But initially, it was just a whirlwind. You’re doing so many different things — you’re doing interviews here, you’re doing brand appearances where. You’re doing — I didn’t go to the ESPYs, thankfully — but you have award shows.”
He continued, “You have all these things that you’re doing, so it’s really just a sprint — you’re just trying to do all these things, and I think that that’s, like, one part that kind of sucks about it because you’re trying to do all these things and then, you know, you pick your head up and it’s almost September … and you’re like, ‘Now I gotta get back to work.’ And they’re gonna crown a new champion — hopefully it’s us — again in June. You don’t want to lose time to actually appreciate it, but it’s tough.”
