Josh Hart isn’t just a New York Knicks forward anymore — he’s a multitasking brand in motion.
Between a candy empire, a beer partnership, and a luxury car campaign, Hart’s balancing act looks more like a startup founder’s schedule than an NBA player’s. But even as his off-court ventures pile up, he’s proving that his real growth is happening on the court, where he’s learning to lead by doing less.
The sweetest gig of all came courtesy of Mike and Ike, a brand that’s been tied to Hart for years.
His pregame ritual — crushing boxes of the chewy candy — has become part of his identity. Now, he’s officially the brand’s “Chief Candy Officer,” a title that somehow fits perfectly. “Mike and Ike has been my favorite candy since high school,” Hart said. “It was a very genuine thing… being included and getting the chance to make a difference was important.”
The partnership was never a cash grab — it’s organic, rooted in something fans have known about him all along, according to Sports Illustrated.
He’s also finding time to show his social side. This fall, Hart teamed up with Heineken for the launch of the brand’s “Group Chat Bar,” a pop-up experience inspired by his real-life group chat, “Cold Water.” The idea is simple: get people off their phones and back into the real world.
If that weren’t enough, Hart’s partnership with Lucid Motors brings another layer of sophistication to the mix. Alongside teammate and close friend Jalen Brunson, Hart appears in Lucid’s national campaign for its Gravity and Air models — electric vehicles that mirror the duo’s blend of grit and precision.
That same mindset is driving him through one of the most challenging transitions of his NBA career.
After leading the league in minutes per game last season under Tom Thibodeau, Hart has been asked to take a step back under new head coach Mike Brown. His minutes are down from nearly 38 to the mid-20s, and his starting role has shifted to anchoring the second unit.
“I feel like I’ve got the biggest adjustment out of the whole team,” Hart said to the New York Daily News before a recent matchup at the United Center. “There’s gonna be times where I’m bringing the ball up, times when I’m the five, times when I’m the four, so I literally have to know every play from every position.”
It’s an unusual challenge for someone who’s built his reputation as a plug-and-play glue guy, but Hart is embracing it as a mental game. “It’s one thing to know it in practice,” he continued. “But when it’s game pace, that’s the real test.”
Still, ego management is part of the process. Hart admits it’s been tough reconciling his role from last year — where he notched multiple triple-doubles and led the team in hustle plays — to being a rotational piece now.
“I think throughout the season it’ll be a battle of kind of fighting the egotistical view of it,” he said. “I think I did have a good year last year, and with a different role, now it’s totally different. There’s going to be days where I’m just like, ‘Man, that’s some bull.’ But it’s about knowing this is what’s best for the team and locking in on that.”