Knicks' Hart pays tribute to great-uncle Elston Howard with first pitch, tour

NEW YORK -- Josh Hart has turned in numerous strong performances in his year-plus with the Knicks, but he’s not the first member of his family to enjoy sports stardom in New York City.

Hart tossed a ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night to pay homage to his great-uncle, former Yankees catcher Elston Howard, who was the first African-American player to wear the club’s pinstripes.

The Yankees gifted Hart a jersey bearing Howard’s uniform No. 32, and Hart was guided into Monument Park, where he was able to pose for photographs with Howard’s retired number and plaque.

The 29-year-old Hart never met Howard, who passed away in 1980, but he has long felt a connection with the barrier-breaking Bomber. Hart’s father, Moses, was Howard’s nephew.

“Someone who’s in your family who got to the highest level, who won [four] World Series championships, was an MVP, is someone you look up to, is somebody you aspire to be in your respective sport,” Hart told NBC Sports Philadelphia in 2016, when he was playing for Villanova.

“I used him as a role model, just everything he was able to do: The first Black player to play for the Yankees. The character that he had is something that I try to resemble. Dad was always telling me stories about when he used to go to the ballpark and watch him play and just learn from him.”

Before Tuesday’s game, Hart also met with Yankees manager Aaron Boone, then spent several minutes chatting during batting practice with Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe.

An excellent defensive catcher with a reliable bat, Howard played 13 seasons with the Yankees from 1955-67, earning honors as the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1963.

Over a career that began in the Negro Leagues and included a late stint with the Red Sox, Howard batted .274 with 168 home runs and 775 RBIs.

After his playing days, Howard became a trusted coach with the Yankees, helping the club to its 1977 and ’78 World Series championships.

“It’s someone that I look up to, someone that I always wished I was able to meet,” Hart said. “Hopefully, a couple of generations down, someone in my family will be saying the same thing about me.”