As Spike Lee took the stage to accept the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement at the WGA Awards in New York, his beloved Knicks had just gone into overtime against their hated rival, the Boston Celtics.
Lee offered a number of heartfelt comments about the craft of writing, paying tribute to his late mother and NYU and his wife.
But after about a minute at the podium, speaking in a low and measured tone, the temptation of the moment grew too strong. “If you can make a living doing what you love, that’s a W, not an L,” he said, and the sports metaphor seemed to prompt him to pull out his phone. “Hold on, the Knicks are … let me get the score first.
They’re in Boston,” he said, starting to scroll as the crowd laughed nervously and applause rippled through the Edison Ballroom. “Overtime!” someone in the crowd cried. “It’s overtime?!” Lee replied. “Oh, we gotta go!” He faked dashing off the stage.
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