Malik Nabers has what it takes to be the next big New York sports star

We are and have always been a star city. Former Jets owner Sonny Werblin recognized this when he signed Broadway Joe Namath to a $427,000 contract from Alabama.

When someone with star power walks into a room, everyone knows it.

New York has been fortunate to have so many of them, right up to Babe Ruth, and now we add Malik Nabers to the list.

You don’t dare go to the fridge when Aaron Judge has a bat in his hand.

Football is an 11-man sport and Malik Nabers is at the mercy of Daniel Jones, who throws the ball to him and throws it with precision. But we quickly learned that Malik Nabers is something to behold with the ball in the air or in his hands, and America and America’s Team can see him at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.

There is no great player in any sport who does not ooze athletic arrogance on the field. Just watch Nabers play the game. You can tell he knows. He knows who he is, what he can do, who he can be. He knows he’s open when he’s covered.

Jason Pinnock mentions Odell Beckham Jr. and Derek Jeter as well as Judge and Jalen Brunson at the top of his list of New York stars, saying, “You could have a high game, you could have a low game, but it’s all about it.” The Guys I just mentioned are consistently great and remain at their peak.”

His Giants teammates believe this much: Success will not spoil Malik Nabers.

“I think you have to be very good at compartmentalizing because as you know, things can get a little crazy with the media here,” Bronx-born tight end Chris Manhertz told The Post. “The ability to separate what is happening and what is being said, regardless of your game, and focus on what you need to do on a weekly basis, I think helps eliminate these types of distractions.”

So far, so great.

“It depends on what you do successfully,” Jalin Hyatt told The Post. “I just think of him, he has a clear head and wants to be the best. Not only does he want to be the best here, but he also wants to be the best receiver in the NFL. He shows this in practice every day, and it carries over into the game. I think even if he continues to achieve success in his career, I think it will help him, it will give him more motivation, more confidence and also more trust in the DJ.”

Aaron Rodgers brought two decades of star power and a Super Bowl crown to the Jets from Green Bay.

It took three games for Malik Nabers to become the talk of the town on the other side of town, where they were desperately looking for something, someone, to hug during the franchise’s 100th anniversary season.

He gave hope to beleaguered Giants fans, hope for meaningful games again in December, hope for a season no one expected.

Saquon Barkley brought his star power with him from Penn State, but the Giants failed to improve their offensive line, and even if the hand of God touches you, it’s impossible for a running back to become a Gold Jacket Guy without a viable offensive line become .

In today’s quarterback-dominated NFL, it’s easier for a receiver touched by the hand of God to snag a rising star.

Nabers made Jones a better quarterback and he made Brian Daboll a better coach.

“I think he has a strong mind,” Dexter Lawrence told The Post.

Nabers gives the Giants something they desperately needed: a player who hopes to win, rather than a player who hopes to win. It’s part of his buddy personality.

“He expects to win, he expects to make plays,” Darius Slayton told The Post, “and he does.”

But he’s not a diva who thinks he knows everything.

“He’s a sponge when it comes to veterans talking to him,” Pinnock said.

Nabers caught passes from Jayden Daniels as the Cowboys humiliated the Giants 40-0 in the home opener at MetLife Stadium last year and 49-17 at Jerry’s World in November.

All the stars New York has seen over the years – Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays and Duke Snider and Patrick Ewing and Mark Messier and Henrik Lundqvist and Jeter and Mariano Rivera and now Judge and Brunson, to name a few – lived for the smartest lights and the biggest stages.

Now come the Cowboys and all their stars — CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott, a faded Ezekiel Elliott — and the star on their helmets.

And here comes Malik Nabers, born for Star Wars, born for New York, born for prime time.