SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after the victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As Jamal Murray’s shot clanked off the rim and the final seconds on the clock expired, the ball fell to Karl-Anthony Towns, who looked down at his own hand in amazement at what he and his Minnesota Timberwolves team had just done.
For the first time in exactly 20 years, the Timberwolves were headed to the Western Conference Finals after defeating the defending champion Denver Nuggets in Game 7, coming back from 20 points down in the second half, with Towns leading the Timberwolves in scoring.
As KAT went from the visitors’ locker room at Ball Arena to the postgame press conference podium, he walked side-by-side with longtime Timberwolves reporter and Minnesotan Jon Krawczynski, who reminded Towns to take a beat and soak in everything that had just been accomplished.
Towns and Krawczynski, both pillars of the Timberwolves community, had seen it all: countless losing seasons, a carousel of coaches and general managers, a disastrous year with Jimmy Butler that saw Towns’s name sullied in the eyes of many, and, worst of all, a COVID pandemic and the loss of Towns’ beloved mother Jacqueline.
On the court, there were moments of immaturity as the growing process wasn’t always linear. Towns started as one of the “Timberpups,” and grew into the role of Timberwolves franchise player. He eventually became a multi-time All-NBA player who had just taken the Wolves to a place that only Kevin Garnett had before.
The feeling for KAT that night in Denver was one of validation. All the hard work he had put in, everything he had been through personally and on the court with the Timberwolves organization, had been worth it. Not only was the franchise that drafted Towns nine years earlier finding success, but they were doing it with him and because of him.
Everything in KAT’s Timberwolves tenure to that point led to that moment. Through all the turmoil during his nine seasons in Minnesota, Towns, like Andy Dufresne, had crawled through a river of sewage and come out clean on the other side.
“How much more we gotta lose?” Towns said in the most KAT way possible after the game about his team, “We’ve been losing for 20 years.”
That magical night in Denver may have been the first time Towns ended a team’s decades-long drought, but it would not be the last. On Saturday night in San Antonio, the New York Knicks, with Towns at center, became NBA champions for the first time in 53 years.
The Knicks and Towns stormed through the 2026 NBA Playoffs on their way to the title. New York finished with a 16-3 record in the playoffs, including nine straight road wins while clinching all four series away from Madison Square Garden. Among NBA champions, this Knicks team set the record for best Net Rating in a single postseason, outpacing the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers and the 2017 Golden State Warriors.
KAT himself finished with an NBA record plus/minus of +262 during the playoff run, finishing ahead of Steph Curry in 2017 (+246), Draymond Green in 2017 (+229), his teammate Jalen Brunson (+224), and Kobe Bryant in 2001 (+213).
The feeling again has to be validation for Towns, and this time, maybe even vindication.
Karl proved all of his doubters incorrect. People said he was soft, that he didn’t work hard enough, and that he didn’t have enough basketball IQ. They said KAT wouldn’t be able to control the “stray voltage” on the biggest stage, that he’d be unwilling to play as a team’s #2, or that he didn’t have the defensive ability to lead a quality defense at the center position.
All of it wrong.
“You work your whole life for this moment,” Towns said to ABC’s Ernie Johnson with the Larry O’Brien trophy in his hands. “Throughout my career, I’ve seen myself fall down. People tell me to stay down, and I got back up. Even when I was in the mud, I kept putting my left foot in front of my right foot.”
The trade that sent KAT from the Timberwolves to the Knicks was nuanced and will surely be debated in Minnesota for years to come. It was brought on in large part by the NBA’s then-new second apron, which punished teams for being a certain level above the luxury tax threshold, as the Wolves were in the summer of 2024.
While the success or failure of the trade for the Wolves is still up in the air, what is clear is that Towns still has an immense respect for the Timberwolves organization, his former teammates, including Anthony Edwards, and all the people of Minnesota.
KAT: "Shoutout to my brother Anthony Edwards talking to him all the time. Those guys made me better, they made me a better leader, they made me a better player, made me the man I am today. Forever grateful for them" pic.twitter.com/dux6qydTdG
The journey for Towns to get to this point was a long one. It started when the Wolves selected a 19-year-old kid out of the University of Kentucky, and it was filled with every manner of obstacles, difficulties, and loss. Through it all, Karl came out of it a better player and a better person.
“Y’all know my story, you’ve heard my story,” Towns said. “I just want to say, thank you, Momma, I appreciate you getting me one.”
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: New York Knicks owner James Dolan is interviewed by Ernie Johnson Jr. after his team's victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
— sports live tweeter yadira (@jonmoxIeys) June 14, 2026
Mike Brown
On Jalen Brunson being a true No. 1 star:
“I hope you guys will listen to me, he is a top-three MVP candidate. Everybody kind of mentions his name in passing, they don’t do it seriously enough — people say he’s too small, people say he’s a 1B or a 2B or whatever, he is a freaking 1A. I hope tonight you guys, and I’m talking to the media more than the fans, but I hope you guys recognize what this man is all about because he is A1 MVP — he is him.”
On Jalen Brunson being the face of New York basketball:
“He comes, and he probably takes a pay cut that I wouldn’t have taken, every time they would have thrown that number in front of me would have said no, and I feel like I’m a good guy.”
On the significance of the Knicks franchise:
“There are a couple of franchises that are pretty iconic just because of the history that they have, the location that they’re in, sometimes even the building that they’re in. New York is definitely one of the few that you could say that to in all three facets. Everybody goes through their ups and downs. I don’t really think much about the tough times [the Knicks] had because everybody has tough times, including individuals. You just want to try the best you can to be a part of whatever you can to bring joy to the city, to the organization. I feel blessed, fortunate, lucky, to be a part of what is going on now.”
On bringing a title to New York:
“It’s just a heck of a win. To have these fans that we have in New York City, and to bring home a championship to them after all of these years, it’s just an absolutely amazing. It’s surreal – I don’t know how long it’s been since that final buzzer, but I still don’t believe it. I’m pinching myself, I’m telling myself to try to be present, and all of the stuff I tell my guys every day because I still just can’t believe it.”
On his staff, players, and the Knicks organization:
“My staff, they carried me all year. Our players are fantastic – they’ve been ready from Day 1, and it’s not just our top-five, but 1 through 18 they have been ready from Day 1 of the season. You saw it we called on different guys at different times and every time they stepped up – I love my players, I love the organization, but most importantly Let’s Go New York, we can’t wait to get home and celebrate.”
“It’s everything I dreamed of. It’s why I came to New York.”
On the Knicks’ late-game identity:
“For some reason I feel like the game for us starts for us 30 minutes later than it’s supposed to. We don’t show up at 8:30. We show up at 9 p.m.”
On winning the title:
“It’s everything I dreamed of. This is why I picked New York.”
On his emotions after the championship:
“Holy s—. I’ve got no words. Everything I ever dreamed of. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m in awe, I don’t know. Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.”
On where his confidence comes from:
“My confidence comes from my work ethic. Every time I had the ball, all I could think about was all the hours I put in the summer… into making this a reality. So whenever I got the ball, I just thought about me being alone in the gym.”
On finding a way to win:
“We’re going to find a way, whatever you put in front of us, we’re going to find a way. I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
On becoming a champion:
“I got no words. Everything I ever dreamed of. I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
On winning Finals MVP:
“It was definitely more emotional than I thought it would be. Once I got on stage and everything, it started to settle, but it’s everything I dreamed of, seriously. I woke up this morning not wanting to play another game. At some point, I knew I was going to win [an NBA Championship]. The opportunity presented itself, and I didn’t want it to slip away.”
On the journey to a championship:
“Words can’t describe it. I put a lot of time and effort into being the best player I can be, and I’m just really thankful to have a coaching staff and teammates who have my back every day. At the final buzzer, I walked right to half court, shook Mitch Johnson’s hand, and turned around. My dad was there, and I felt emotions from that point on. But it still hasn’t sunk in. I honestly don’t know right now. I’m just thankful for the opportunity, and we were able to get it done. Through hard work and effort, I knew this was achievable, but it was only a small portion of it. Tonight, we played like we wanted to finish the game as champions. It means the world to me to go on the court with those guys.”
On his reaction to the championship:
“I got no words. It’s everything I’ve dreamt of. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m just like… I’m in awe. I don’t know. Whenever someone counts us out, we find a way to come back and do something about it.”
On his preparation and work ethic:
“My confidence comes from my work ethic. Every time I got the ball, all I could think about is all the hours in the summer. For every summer I had, since I ever could remember, making this a reality. Whenever I had the ball, I’m just thinking about just me alone in the gym.”
On the Knicks’ resilience:
“We’re going to find a way. Whatever you put in front of us, we’re going to find a way. It doesn’t matter. It does not matter whatsoever. We’re going to find a way every single time we step on this court. Every f–king time. Every time.”
On the “1A” haters:
“I didn’t respond to them then and I’m damn sure not going to respond to them now.”
On winning all of his NBA and college titles in Texas:
“I have nothing against Texas. I love Texas. I miss the Texas taxes.”
On his mentality:
“I’m just never afraid to fail.”
On what it took to win the championship and score 45 points:
“Everything.”
On finishing the job in Game 5:
“Tonight, we played like we wanted to go home champions, to finish the game. Not to start the game, to finish the game.”
On winning a championship:
“Words can’t describe it. I put a lot of time and effort into trying to be the best player I can be to try and help a team win. Just really thankful to have the organization, the coaching staff, my teammates, to have my back every single day.”
On playing through injury after yet another dirty Victor Wembanyama play:
“I’m hurting right now, I’m not going to lie to you. I’m hurting right now, but like i said before, the opportunity presented itself. Whatever you gotta do.”
On when he knew Jalen Brunson would become a star:
“I knew through college, but I really knew when he signed (with the Knicks). I knew what he was going to do, especially in the league we play in. Him having the ball and being able to be ball dominant … his efficiency is out of the roof. I knew what he was going to be able to do with the ball in his hands here, more than what he was able to do in Dallas.”
On the five-pick trade and the haters:
“You talking about f–-k them picks. Very grateful. F–-k ’em. Through the times I’ve been struggling, fans said things about me, I want to always be better. Keep pushing me. I appreciate the tough love.”
On Knicks fans pushing him to improve:
“Given all of the times I’ve been struggling and our fans are on me, I want to always be better – so however they feel I always want to be better. I just hope that I’m still here and they just keep that edge and keep pushing me. If they strongly believe we have a chance every year and they strong believe they need me to be better I’m already thinking that – I appreciate the tough love, I know some fans might be crazier than others, but the ones that truly care, they just want me to be better so don’t stop now.”
"This is home. I had a lot of instability in my career. This city really embraced me."
“We don’t really talk about it, but the weight of that jersey. The expectations, the pressure of that jersey. Right now, it’s the lightest it’s ever felt.”
On Mike Brown’s impact on the Knicks:
“Mike was invaluable to this run. He knows what it is to be a champion. He knows how to build a team, how to build habits that will put you in this position. We’re so grateful to have him at the top. He kept us even at so many times. He brought the best out of us. He’s the reason why we’re here.”
On the Knicks’ togetherness:
“Oh, man, it’s been invaluable. I think you can look at the play (in Game 4), I missed the layup . . . I miss, and we come down and foul Wemby. I think I fouled him or KAT fouled him or whatever [Anunoby fouled him], and I ended up on the ground. I was frustrated and kind of down on myself. You see JB, KAT, Jose run up to me and pick me up. You see Landry [Shamet] on the bench yelling at me to get up and those kinds of things.
“When you have a team that has that kind of togetherness in the most adverse situations, that breeds championship habits and a championship team. I feel like we can go down the line of every guy in that locker room that has had moments like that during the season, and everyone has been there to pick each other up. When you have a team that can do that, no matter what happens in a game, you feel like you can get through it.”
On staying even through highs and lows:
“In an 82-game season, especially in New York, you know, there’s going to be mountains and valleys. If we win three or four in a row, you know, you’re the best team in the league. If you lose three or four in a row, everybody is on the trade block. We know that and that’s why during the course of a season, you try to stay even and you try to continue to build those habits, championship habits, that put you in that position at the end of the year.
“And that’s what you focus on. Sometimes it’s not about the result; it’s about the process. You know, every game, every second, every practice of the season, it led us to this point.”
On finally finding a home in New York:
“I had so much instability, traded, different coaches, and I found a home in New York and they embraced me. This city is built on toughness, grit, blue-collar people, and I feel like I’m the same person. They can look in the mirror and they can see [me].”
On the Nova Knicks:
“Those are my brothers for life. We have a bond that’ll never be broken. We won a championship together in college, but this one obviously takes the cake. We’ve been built for this moment. We’ve all been forged in the fire … Coach [Jay] Wright helped us be cut from a different cloth. No matter the moment, it’s never too big for us.”
"I just feel like whenever we're down, that's when the game started."
“Shout-out to everybody who told him he couldn’t do it because it gave him fuel for the fire. I think I speak for me and OG when I say it’s been an honor to be brought to this team to amplify him.”
On his father:
“He’s been everything to me. He taught me the game of basketball.”
On bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the Dominican Republic:
“Hell yeah, I’m bringing the trophy over there!”
On Jalen Brunson leaving Gatorade at the podium:
“You know JB’s happy, he left the Gatorade up here!”
On the Knicks’ unity:
“I talk about our unity, our connectivity. We just continue to believe in each other and believe in our team, our game plan. Whatever needs to be adjusted in the game, us as players will always talk it out, and we’re willing to have those conversations that are difficult. We’re willing to keep each other accountable.
“Regardless of what happens, we know, like I said, we all we got and we all we need, and it’s more than enough to have a chance to win every single night. I know a lot of people talk about it. I know you’ve heard a ton of people come up on this mic and say the same thing, but I hope our team shows the world that we truly mean it. Even though last year we didn’t get the job done, that unity and that connectivity and that continuity has always shown itself.
“I think that last game is just another example of us talking about how connected we are together and how much we truly do have love for each other as teammates, as a team, as brothers, as a family. Only brothers would keep each other going, especially in the game where it was last game. Because of that family, family stays close. When things got really bad, we got closer. We didn’t start fading away from each other.”
On feeling the presence of his late mother and the support of Jordyn Woods:
“Her presence is always felt in my life. You always pray you’re going to pick the right woman for you and I know I did in my fiancé. I damn sure know now with that bag, that bag held it down. Shout-out to Woods by Jordyn.
It’s crazy, when she passed, there was so much turmoil in my life. Funny enough, my fiancé was the one, who was a friend at the time, was the only person I got to call before I had to go out there and say bye to her at the hospital. Me and her have a real bond that goes deeper than just physical features and everything like that. We’ve got a true friendship that was built from the ground up.
I remember just always asking her if this was going to be my last time seeing her in the physical, let me feel her spirit at all times. In moments of true pressure and a lot of things going on, I always feel this calming come to me and it’s always her. It’s just great to always feel her arms around me and always to feel her love in my life, in so many different ways.
It’s a testament. I haven’t felt love from a woman like that until I met my fiancé. It really means a lot that, in a way – without sounding weird – Jackie Jr. was able to be here celebrating this moment with me.
It’s amazing. It’s truly a humbling feeling when you know you have walked the path. I stayed faithful. In every decision that I was supposed to make, I made the right one. Feels good to be at this moment.
“Y’all heard my story, y’all know my story. I just want to say: Thank you Mama, I appreciate you getting me one.”
On finally winning a championship:
“You work your whole life for this moment. As they always said with this team, it is written for New York.”
"You know what's crazy? Yesterday at the hotel I caught a snake"
Mitchell Robinson says that he's caught a snake twice during the playoffs, and both times the Knicks have won the series🤔
On bringing the monster truck to the championship parade:
“I just got asked to put my truck in it so I’m gonna be really excited.”
On Jalen Brunson’s Game 5 performance:
“It was unreal.”
On snakes being the Knicks’ lucky charm:
“You know what’s crazy? Yesterday at the hotel I caught a snake. I think it’s something about snakes.”
On finally winning a title with the Knicks:
“I’ve seen the recipe being made. I’ve been here when we’ve won 17 games, when we’ve won 60 games, and to finally be able to get it done in 2026, it’s been amazing.”
On his offensive rebounding and his late effort:
“That’s just something I always do. I trust my guys that they are going to make them, but I’m just going crash anyway – luckily I did and came up with a big rebound.
“Grabbed it, kicked it out and they fouled us again, so we got a chance to shoot two more and I almost got it again, so I’m just going to continue to do that.”
“I thought when we acquired him if he averaged 20 points and six assists it would be good. I thought like other people, in a playoff scenario where you get guys 6-[foot]-6 and 6-7 on him, he would have trouble scoring. But he found a way, against all these guys.”
On Brunson’s place in Knicks history:
“He’s got to be considered one of the greatest Knicks ever. He’s been magnificent the whole playoffs and all season. … Clutch, he’s Mr. Clutch. He comes up with the big baskets. He was the only guy scoring at one time for the Knicks. That kept them in the game.”
On Brunson changing perceptions of small guards:
“Brunson has definitely changed the mindset of that thinking, a guy 6-foot-2 can’t lead a team to a championship.”
On watching the championship run:
“I was living through the eyes of Jalen, saying ‘Wow, I used to be doing that out there on the court.’ I’m sure those guys [from our last championship team] are watching tonight, and they’re very proud of the team like I am.”
On what the title means for the New York Knicks:
“It’s a magnificent night for the fan base and the franchise.”
“Fourth time is the charm. ’99, I did the same thing I did tonight, just sit and watch and cheer. I take my hat (off) to the team, take my hat off to Jalen. He did an outstanding job with putting us on his back and being able to bring a championship back to New York.”
On what the championship means for New York and the Knicks:
“It means everything to the city. It was a magical run, all the things they were able to accomplish.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns:
“This guy right here, this is my guy, right here.”
"At some point, I knew I was going to win [an NBA Championship]."
“I want to give him some credit. I want to give, you know, obviously what you said about Brunson, I said, it’s the greatest free agent signing in NBA history, but also he took so much criticism for guys when he took a hundred million dollars less so they could go out and get other players. He deserved like, hey, listen, a hundred million dollars is a lot of money, but he wanted them to go out and get him some help, and they went on and got him some help, and they are the World Champs.”
“It’s over! It’s over! Knick fans, this is not a dream! Your long, long wait is ended. Go ahead and cry: after 53 years, the Knicks are finally NBA Champions once again!”
“I don’t even know how to put it in words because I damn sure didn’t play. I didn’t practice like these guys did, they did it. But it’s been 53 long years, and there’s been so many moments of misery that we had to endure as New York Knick fans. And to be here tonight, I gotta confess until this series I never thought it’d happen.
“So many things have gone wrong: The layups that wasn’t with Charles Smith, the [Patrick] Ewings finger rolls, the Game 7s they didn’t come out on top. Time after time after time… And to be in attendance witnessing the end of a 53-year drought as born in The Bronx, raised in Hollis, Queens, New York City. I’ve been a New York fan all my life, I never thought I’d see it.
“I don’t even know what to say. I can’t put into words how this feels. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life covering sports. I’ve never had a feeling like this. It’s unbelievable.”
On why the Knicks ‘saved’ the NBA:
“Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks saved the NBA with this championship. Stay with me. If the Spurs win the championship, the entire NBA is evolving its scheme around how do you knock off the alien, the 7-foot-5 alien from France. How do you do it?
“Well, guess what? Now that a 6-1 guard, who’s not the most athletic above the rim dude — that ain’t his game, just savvy, brilliant as a basketball savant, footwork extraordinaire — that guy at 6-foot-1 led this team. And in a close-out Game 5 drops 45 on a Spurs defense that was pretty elite. That’s what they did.”
"As happy as I've ever felt. It's pretty amazing."
Ben Stiller is filled with joy after the Knicks become champs for the first time in 53 years ❤️ pic.twitter.com/FKPZgJRCe7
A Knicks fan holds a giant cutout of star guard Jalen Brunson in midtown Manhattan after their first championship since 1973.Photograph: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images
The New York Knicks had been here before. As Jalen Brunson and his band of not-so-merry men stood at the top of this year’s NBA finals, they confronted not just the San Antonio Spurs, their foe on the court, but the very idea of what the Knicks themselves – as a team, as a franchise, as a symbol of New York City – could be. The team’s run to last year’s Eastern Conference finals was thrilling but had the aspect of an underdog romp, and ultimately ended in defeat. Was this the limit of what New York’s fans, Rabelaisian in their rages and saintly in their endless capacity for patience, could expect from their team? Brunson was dogged and clever but perhaps not quite elite, a Stakhanovite toiler in a league built for transcendent talents. Karl-Anthony Towns was elite but perhaps too soft, too sensitive, too “zesty” to carry a team to the NBA’s pinnacle. The questions hanging over the leading pair extended to a team forged in their image. The lineup was good; was it great?
Coach Mike Brown, in his first year with the franchise, had promise but no small amount of baggage, having landed at the Knicks after being dismissed by the Sacramento Kings following a horror start to the 2024/25 season. And then, of course, there was the weight of history: no title since 1973 and a litany of near-misses and false dawns in the intervening decades. New York had watched through the 1980s and 1990s as first Los Angeles, then Chicago (under the guidance of its own son, Phil Jackson, who won the 1973 championship as a Knick) propelled the NBA to global prominence, a narrative in which the Knicks filled the role of a dutiful punching bag. Hakeem Olajuwon’s block on John Starks to kill their hopes in 1994, the tragic heroism of Patrick Ewing, death by Tim Duncan in ’99, and all the fizzled promise of Carmelo and Stoudemire and Linsanity: the memories had faded but the scars lingered. The franchise was destined, it seemed, to remain forever on the fringes, a mournful witness to others’ joy. Could they do it? Surely they couldn’t: the curse of the Knicks had driven the fans, the team, the city itself to despair. Neurosis, not success, was hardwired into New York’s psychology. The center of the universe and the joke of the NBA: the city was Larry Fink off the court, and Larry David on it.
Could they do it? They could. Swatting away a half century of hurt, building on the inevitable momentum gathered from their historic comeback in Game 4, and riding their city’s early summer wave of boisterous (though possibly astroturfed) invention, the Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years. My Christian Dior, Knicks in four? Not quite. But 4-1 supplies an exorcising symmetry, mirroring the scoreline by which the Knicks fell to the very same opponent on their last trip to the finals in 1999. And the rhyme scheme is better this way: they got there in five, and the NBA is alive.
These were the second most-watched finals in NBA history – a testament not only to the size and cultural heft of the New York media market but to the rippling character of the entertainment on the court. Saturday night’s clincher distilled the series as a whole. The Spurs stormed to an early lead (as is their wont) and failed to hold on to it (as is their wont). Dylan Harper – finally given some time to run the play in place of the maligned De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs’ Game 4 scapegoat – hit a series of silky midrangers, and Julian Champagnie got into his groove from beyond the arc. Victor Wembanyama did what Victor Wembanyama does, which is cry and cajole and be much taller than everyone else. San Antonio’s divine linguine unfurled a volley of blocks, and then came those trademark second and third and fourth tips, which give Wemby the air of a stalled windmill or an unnailed Jesus, arms held out in supplication as the ball rebounds off his outstretched hands and cannons back towards the basket. At times Saturday night, as throughout these finals, he was tipping almost totally to himself, playing a game of one in the rare air above the rim. The Spurs’ lead stretched to 15 midway through the third quarter. The French star’s bullish pre-game predictions about a title in seven (“Everybody knows we’re gonna do it”) seemed on course to come true.
And then: San Antonio met their unsmiling assassin. Brunson went the full Bunsen, embarking on a historic second-half scoring spree to comprehensively incinerate the Spurs’ hopes of extending the series to a sixth game. Brunson was unanimously named finals MVP virtually the moment the game ended, and it’s no wonder: he had the highest-scoring finals series from a point guard in NBA history, and became just the second player in 50 years to record a 45-point closeout game in the championship-deciding series. Michael Jordan did it at the age of 35 in Game 6 of the 1998 finals, his last appearance for the Bulls; Brunson has done it at 29, and only a fool would bet against him replicating Saturday night’s outrageous punctuating stomp of a performance in future finals series.
Part of what makes these Knicks so fun to watch is how steely and unemotional they are, both on and off the court. Where other teams mince and peacock, they downplay and deflect. They’re a quiet team for a loud city: while Wembanyama was busy declaring “we’re gonna do it”, Brunson remained steadfast that the Knicks’ mentality going into Game 5 would be “zero-zero”. But amid all the “application” and “grit” – the two words that are usually thrown around to describe this champion ensemble – there’s a real craftiness there too, combined with an insatiable appetite for the game. More than any other title-winning team in recent NBA history these players love being on the court, and seem quite happy to make playing basketball the focus of their ambitions. They don’t dream of horses in Serbia or their next brand partnerships as they play; they dream of basketball.
Brunson is the soul of the team’s commitment, to each other and to the game, but he’s also something singular, a ball of gristle and will who blooms into grace and artistry just as you’re convincing yourself his game is all about graft. There’s a real density to his physique, which has offered a pleasing visual contrast over the course of these finals to Wembanyama’s reedy elasticity. The right shoulder – dropped and tucked as he barrels into the paint – and the left knee – raised with the delicacy of a drinking pinkie as he steps back to shoot – are Brunson’s main physical weapons, and he deploys them to devastating effect. Time and time again these finals we saw Brunson beaver and fend and bustle into the mix then pull back, the angles aligned to his satisfaction, for one of those impossibly high and gymnastic shots, the ball easing through the net as if with a sigh. This is the Jalen Brunson Guarantee: where there is bullying, there is also beauty.
Brunson, remember, is just 6ft 2in, and on court he looks even shorter. Much of his best offensive work in the finals was performed under the pressure of a double team and facing the attention of Wembanyama, who has more than a foot on him in height. A man of Brunson’s comparatively slight stature is not supposed to excel in basketball – in an earlier era perhaps, but not in the modern NBA, where the bigs handle the ball like point guards and the direction of physical travel is up, up, up. Yet here we are. A series that began with tremors of anxiety about how to stop a 7ft 4in freak of nature – and what it would do to the sport for such an outlandish and improbable talent to dominate the league for years to come – ends with the primacy of the human, the dogged, and the squat emphatically reaffirmed. The time of the short kings is upon us.
This was not a title built on the talents of one man alone, of course, but on speed in transition, blistering ball movement and a kind of sacrificial defensive commitment in the paint that recalled, at times, the very best of the Knicks’ brutish 1990s pomp. OG Anunoby, a fortress in defense, will best be remembered in these finals for his last-second tip to win Game 4, now destined to become the defining image of the Knicks’ historic charge to the summit. Towns, the No 1 pick in the 2015 draft who came to the Knicks in 2024, finally silenced the critics (of his game, of his voice, of his personality, of his everything) and picked up the title his rich talent deserves. Josh Hart is a noted menace under the glass but his best work these playoffs came from pushes in transition. In many ways he is the most violently lateral player in the NBA, a man whose guiding ambition seems to be to traverse the court’s 94ft of hardwood parallel to the ground. Some players glide across the floor; others juggle or dance or storm. Hart torpedoes. Mitchell Robinson played an important support role, receiving Wembanyama’s (now plainly incorrect) Game 4 taunt that he was “in” Robinson’s “head” and supplying the comic relief with his delightfully awful free throws.
Like Brunson, many of these players are around 30, and many of them have taken similarly winding paths – filled with doubt and public mockery – to basketballing nirvana. Can they stick together and build a dynasty? The back office arrangements are in their favor, but the recent history of the NBA, with no repeat champion since 2018, suggests it will be tough. The Spurs, with two recent first and second picks on the roster, are bursting with talent and youth. All they need is to figure out how to protect a lead, score in the fourth quarter and not pass into each other’s backs.
After the gloom of the past few years – the negativity surrounding the league’s clammy accommodations with oil powers and private equity money; the “small town” finals featuring teams from Oklahoma City and Indiana; and the worries over tanking, the strategy by which franchises have tried to game the draft through regular-season failure – these finals brought a rinse of glamour back to the NBA. The series had the contrast of brilliant youth (San Antonio) against grizzled experience (New York); it had prodigious height (Wemby) and alien application (Brunson); it gave us TayTay, Hargitay and Chalamet in the front row, amped and activated into their LET’S GOs after every OG block and Landry Shamet three. In its hysteria, magnetism and sheer fizzing celebrity power, it reached back to the league’s halcyon days, summoning the tap and dazzle of Showtime and Jordan’s Bulls. More than just a basketball series, this felt like a cultural event – the type of thing that will define an era, or at the very least provide easy visual fodder for the documentarians in years to come. (“The 2020s: when fascism came to America, democratic socialism stormed New York, and the Knicks won their first title in half a century.”)
Most of all, this series had what the NBA has been quietly craving for five decades: a title for the biggest and baddest city in the land, a place with basketball in its blood and precious little silverware to show for it. This was a victory for holding on, for believing, for never giving up, for letting San Antonio implode. But it was also a victory for New York City – for all the fans who’ve spent decades living the particular psychodrama that is the Knicks, glued to the misery, resigned to the worst. A new sun is shining on pickup games across Elmhurst, Canarsie, Sheepshead Bay and Mott Haven. For years, the Knicks have watched as other teams and other cities write the NBA’s story. Now, New York ascends.
“I didn’t respond to them then, I’m damn sure not gonna respond to them now,” Brunson said.
Critics have often said Brunson isn’t a 1A player because he might not fit the typical definition. Large guards like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, and big men like Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan, are examples of what people have traditionally thought of as 1A players.
Jalen Brunson lifts the NBA Finals MVP trophy after the Knicks’ championship win on June 13, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostJUNE 13: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks talks to the media after the game San Antonio Spurs during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
Brunson has received criticism in the past, most infamously from Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, for being incapable of the 1A status due to his size. But Brunson has been changing the definition of a 1A player with his impact on the Knicks as a franchise.
Brunson was named Finals MVP after scoring 45 points in the championship-clinching Game 5 Saturday night.
He was the unanimous selection for the Bill Russell Trophy as Finals MVP amongst 11 voters. Only three other players have ever scored 45 or more points in a closeout Finals game.
Since being signed to a four-year, $104 million contract in free agency in 2022, Brunson has been the cornerstone of the Knicks’ turnaround. Before Brunson left Dallas for New York, the Knicks had won one playoff series in 21 seasons. In the four years since Brunson came to town, they have won at least one playoff series every season.
The immediate success Brunson has brought to the Big Apple has the signing considered one of the best in NBA history.
A man holds a poster of New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, as fans gather along 42nd Street in Times Square, on the day of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, in New York City, U.S., June 13, 2026. REUTERS
“He understands what winning is about,” head coach Mike Brown said. “Now when you take his play into account, it’s off the charts, man. Brunson…he is him, man.
“When it comes to New York basketball, he is freaking him.”
Jalen Brunson's run to becoming Finals MVP didn't start when he dropped 45 points in a deciding Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday night. It didn't even start when he scored 30 in Game 1 of the Finals, leading the Knicks to a come-from-behind win that set the tone for the series.
Brunson's run to becoming a unanimous NBA Finals MVP started two summers ago, when he chose to leave $112.5 million on the table and signed a sweetheart extension to stay in New York (if he had waited one more summer, he could have asked for and gotten a five-year, $269 million max deal). Brunson's sacrifice allowed Leon Rose and the Knicks front office to build a deep, talented roster around him that ended the Knicks' 53-win title drought.
"He understands what winning is about," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "He comes and he probably takes a pay cut that I wouldn't have taken. Every time they would've thrown that number in front of me, I would have said no, and I feel like I'm a good guy. He set the bar before he even stepped on the floor. Every time it came to renegotiate a deal with him.
"That set the standard. Now, when you take his play into account, it's off the charts, man."
Brunson's performance in the NBA Finals was off the charts, averaging 32.6 points and 4.6 assists a game. Those raw numbers don't begin to tell the story of what he did, the 6'2" Brunson (and that feels generous) outdueling the 7'5" Wembanyama, being far more clutch and the mature leader his team needed, while the young Spurs' star was trying to figure out how to be that person and the guy his team needed.
When Brunson signed that extension, did he even think this outcome was possible?
"Very possible. With a lot of hard work and effort, I knew it was achievable," Brunson said. "But that was only a small portion of it. I think everyone bonding, coming together, having the mindset of just believing in each other, never giving up, no matter what the situation was, made this all possible."
Brunson may have seen it as possible, but a lot of people — pundits, front office people around the league, some fans — did not. The conventional wisdom has been that an undersized point guard cannot lead a team to the title, that they will get exposed on the biggest stages. Did Brunson have any words for those doubters?
"I didn't respond to them then and I'm damn sure not going to respond to them now," Brunson said.
Brunson beating Wembanyama and the ultra-talented Spurs will take on a mythological status in New York — Brunson will go down as the greatest Knick ever. Sure, there is Willis Reed, but he was a 6'10" No. 10 pick from whom great things were expected. There was the legendary Patrick Ewing and, later, Carmelo Anthony, unquestionable Hall of Famers and icons, but guys who could not lift their Knicks teams to these heights.
Brunson did — and he made the sacrifices needed to get there.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 09: Anthony Davis #23 of the Washington Wizards reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Capital One Arena on April 9, 2026 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves could make a big splash in the trade market this offseason as they look to try and return to the Western Conference Finals.
Bleacher Report contributor Grant Hughes suggests a trade that would send Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Joan Barringer, and the No. 28 overall pick to the Washington Wizards for Anthony Davis.
“This one is admittedly easier to understand from the Wolves’ side, as they’re giving up a player in Randle who used the most recent postseason to confirm he can’t be a second option on a contender,” Hughes wrote.
“Davis would replace him in the first unit next to Rudy Gobert, perhaps cramping spacing but very likely making up for it on defense. Minnesota would be assured of having a dominant force in the middle at all times, and Naz Reid’s shooting would complement both AD and Gobert.”
Trading for Davis would be a risk for the Wolves given his recent injury history, but it could unlock new potential for the Wolves’ frontcourt. Davis has desired to play the power forward spot recently, but he has been asked to play center. With the Wolves, he could be a legitimate power forward, which is his best position.
It would cost the Wolves a lot for Davis, but given the fact that DiVincenzo has one year left on his deal and Randle can opt out after the 2026-27 campaign, it isn’t a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.
Canis Hoopus community, would you trade Randle for Davis? Let us know in the comments section below.
Three of the Knicks’ most popular WAGs celebrated the team’s NBA championship on Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center.
Ali Brunson (Jalen’s wife), Shannon Hart (Josh’s wife) and Jordyn Woods (Karl-Anthony Towns’ fiancée) took a photo with a large version of the Larry O’Brien trophy that went out on ESPN’s social media channels.
“Knicks royalty,” all three captioned the video on their Instagram Stories.
Shannon Hart (left), Ali Brunson (middle) and Jordyn Woods celebrate Knicks championship. AliBrunson/Instagram
Ali and Jalen were shown embracing on the ESPN broadcast in the moments after the Knicks’ Game 5 win over the Spurs that earned the franchise its first championship in 53 years.
Ali shared a number of posts from behind the scenes of the Knicks celebrating the title and also some celebratory posts from fans.
She also announced when the team arrived home in New York.
The Knicks team plane landing back home. AliBrunson/InstagramShannon and Josh Hart with one of their sons. ShannonHart/Instagram
“We are so back,” Ali wrote with a picture of her exiting the plane.
Shannon also shared a number of videos featuring her and Josh’s 3-year-old twin sons, Hendrix and Haze.
“Wore my shoes with two rings because who’s getting two rings this year,” Woods wrote with her and Towns slated to get married later this year after announcing their engagement on Christmas 2025.
Jordyn Woods was wearing ‘two rings” to the Knicks’ Game 5 win. JordynWoods/Instagram
Brunson, Hart and Towns all played pivotal roles in the Knicks’ title with the team winning 15 of their final 16 games.
Brunson was the NBA Finals MVP after scoring 45 points in the Game 5 clincher and carried the team throughout the postseason.
Hart, who also played with Brunson at Villanova, is the Knicks’ do-it-all forward who averaged 10 points, nine rebounds and nearly five assists per game in the playoffs.
The postseason flipped for the Knicks after falling down 2-1 to Atlanta when they decided to run their offense through Towns, which unlocked their potential and led to a 13-game winning streak before the Spurs finally beat them in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
But that would be the Knicks’ final loss of the postseason, rallying from 29 points down in Game 4 and then securing a 94-90 victory on Saturday night.
The couples and the Knicks raucous fans will celebrate the championship with a trip down the Canyon of Heroes on Thursday with the team’s parade.
“You better be good to her,” Brunson said after joyously bumping McNutt. “I just want to say something to the Swifties: She’s a really good one, cut her some slack. It’s all good. I promise.”
— sports live tweeter yadira (@jonmoxIeys) June 14, 2026
On the Knicks radiocast on Wednesday, which was airing on WatchESPN, McNutt was heard taking a shot at Swift who was among the many celebrities at MSG for Game 4.
“She’s not a Knicks fan,” said McNutt in an apparent hot mic moment. “Get out of here, girl.”
Taylor Swift celebrates the Knicks’ Game 4 win of the NBA Finals. NBAE via Getty Images
Kelce, and to a lesser extent Swift, cheered on Cleveland as they got bulldozed by the Knicks juggernaut, 121-108, on New York’s way to a four-game sweep.
“Swifties, I appreciate your passion, I said what I said,” McNutt said. “Here’s the deal, if I’m wrong, I am wrong apparently because she’s got an original Amar’e Stoudemire [Knicks] jersey. I misspoke. I did not know. But here’s the deal, context, I literally just did a piece on Celebrity Row. I’ve been with his organization for five years. I know these folks — Ben Stiller, his wife Christine [Taylor], Spike Lee, Fat Joe. I had not seen her here this year or last year and we just saw her in Cleveland with her fiancé [Travis Kelce for Game 3 of Eastern Conference finals].
“Obviously Travis supports the Cavs. She didn’t have any Knicks paraphernalia [on at the game], so I didn’t know of her Knicks loyalty. But shoutout to T. Swift, we can be united in orange and blue, it’s fine.
“I did not know, I apologize if I’m wrong and apparently i am wrong and that fine but I did not know, because come on now — every Knicks fan has been in the building this year. So it’s all good.”
Now, McNutt has Brunson publicly on her side. The newly minted NBA Finals MVP’s moment of support could help calm Swift’s rabid fans after he dropped 45 points in a performance for the ages in Game 5.
Swift’s next trip to MSG will be for her wedding to Kelce slated to take place July Fourth weekend.
What a morning it is in New York City and the surrounding area!
The Knicks are NBA Champions for the first time since 1973, ending the drought with a historically dominant playoff run that was capped off with a 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night.
Here's a look at how the back (and front) pages reacted to the Knicks taking home the title...
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES - 2026/03/27: Nate Ament (R) of the Tennessee Volunteers in action against Nate Heise (L) of the Iowa State Cyclones in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Final score: Tennessee 76, Iowa State 62. (Photo by Nicholas Muller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Tennessee Volunteers haven’t exactly been a school that you would typically associate with the NBA Draft, but that’s been changing in a big way under Rick Barnes for the past several seasons. Going back to Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, then Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer…. eventually leading to Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack — Barnes has turned Tennessee into a place where you can develop into a pro.
This year brings perhaps his best pro prospect yet, Nate Ament. The former 5-star prospect took a little while to settle in this past season, but once he did you saw exactly why he was billed as one of the top players in the country. Ament decided to turn pro after one season in Knoxville, as expected, and he’s largely projected as a lottery pick in next week’s NBA Draft.
Tennessee also will likely see point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and center Felix Okpara come off the board in round two.
Yahoo Sports: No. 11 overall to the Golden State Warriors
NBADraft.net: No. 7 overall to the Sacramento Kings
Ament’s slow start was quickly forgotten by the time SEC play rolled around as the 6-10 wing really got things going. His late game heroics salted games away late for Rick Barnes as the slender slasher forced his way to the rim and drew fouls at a ridiculously high rate. His perimeter shooting came along as well, becoming much more consistent late in the year. An ankle injury derailed his final games as a Volunteer.
Ament will need to get stronger and more consistent, but there’s quite a bit to work with here.
Gillespie returned home to Tennessee to cap off his college career, filling the shoes of the departing Zakai Zeigler at point guard. He delivered in that role as Tennessee’s go-to playmaker, averaging over 18 points per game. Gillespie added 5.4 assists per game and was a menace defensively, grabbing over two steals per contest. He set a Tennessee record with 79 steals on the year, along with the single-game mark of eight coming against Oklahoma.
Gillespie is undersized at 6-1 and plays a little too streaky in both directions, but his playmaking and shooting should bring some instant value off the bench.
Felix Okpara
Yahoo Sports: No. 49 overall to the Denver Nuggets
NBADraft.net: No. 50 overall to the Toronto Raptors
If you could build a center in a lab for Rick Barnes, it would probably look a lot like Felix Okpara. The 6-11, 242 pound big man was Tennessee’s rim protector for two seasons after transferring in from Ohio State. Okpara registered 243 career blocks over four seasons, locking down the paint for both the Volunteers and Buckeyes.
Okpara worked offensively as a lob-catcher for Gillespie, with his points coming up to average eight per game in his senior season. Okpara averaged just over six rebounds per game in his final three seasons in college.
He now projects as a rotational big at the next level with legitimate, big-time defensive ability.
Also of note: Former Vol Tobe Awaka is projected to land in the second round by Yahoo at No. 51 overall. Cameron Carr is a likely first round pick, being projected as high as No. 13 overall by NBADraft.net.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award trophy, New York Knicks owner James Dolan, and his father Rick Brunson after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jalen Brunson was overpaid.
That was the consensus when the Knicks signed him in free agency on June 30, 2022, inking him to a four-year, $104 million contract. It was the first time in NBA history a non-All-Star had inked a nine-figure contract in free agency.
The consensus was that he was given too much money. A franchise that hadn’t sniffed a conference finals appearance in 22 years was now relying on a small guard who played second fiddle to Luka Doncic to bring them back to relevancy. The things that were said about this man goes beyond parody.
Two years later, he had already proved everyone wrong in that regard. He had emerged as the face of the franchise and had restored hope to a team that had been devoid of it for so long, even if they seemed stuck at a second-round ceiling.
After the 2023-24 season ended in heartbreaking fashion, the Knicks reached a true inflection point.
Julius Randle was due for an extension. The second apron was closing in. The team’s carefully accumulated draft assets were slowly wasting away, running out of time to cash them in.
There was also the case of Brunson’s next contract. He was eligible to extend in the 2024 offseason for four years and $156 million, but could also wait a year and ink an extension worth $269 million across five years. Playing for a team that is forever in debt to you for returning them to relevance, that extension felt guaranteed, barring major injury or some Isaiah Thomas situation.
$113 million is a lot of god damn money. We common folk can’t even fathom having a tenth of that money in the bank account. While Brunson was already set for life with his first nine-figure contract, that fact has never stopped any athlete from taking as rich a contract as humanly possible.
I wrote about the pros and cons of Brunson signing an extension that offseason, but that was always looking at things through rose-tinted glasses. There are very few people in the history of the world who would willingly sacrifice that much money for more roster flexibility.
But Jalen Brunson was one of them.
In a largely unprecedented financial concession to give roster flexibility to a contender, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has agreed on a four-year, $156.5 million extension, his agent Sam Rose of CAA tells ESPN — $113M less guaranteed than he’s eligible to receive in one… pic.twitter.com/DDJvz7TUlr
It’s probably the largest pay cut in terms of total salary in sports history, just because of the way contracts have ballooned over the past several years. In looking for similar examples, Brunson’s old teammate, Dirk Nowitzki, took a big pay cut in 2014. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh all left a little on the table to make the Big 3 in Miami. KD left a little on the table to join the Warriors in 2016. Tom Brady would take a little less money to help the dynasty Patriots.
But all of these guys had legitimate title aspirations when they did this. Brunson was taking a pay cut for a team that, aside from a measly four weeks in January 2024, had never shown they had any real chance to compete for a championship.
As such, the same people who clowned the Knicks for signing him in the first place were now clowning the new Knicks’ captain for leaving all that money on the table. There’s no guarantee that he would even get to sign that potential $400 million extension in a few years as he entered his 30s. He might’ve done all this for nothing. Hell, it was only two months ago that the consensus was that he did this for nothing.
But now that we’re here, now that the Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years, now that Brunson has hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy and been named Finals MVP, his gamble has paid off.
It was the most ambitious decision imaginable for a player who was ascending into superstardom. The most likely outcome was that it not result in anything meaningful.
But it did. And the money he left on the table paid dividends.
Brunson made $34.94 million in 2025-26. If he waited a year and signed the mega extension, he would’ve made $46.4 million. That’s $11.5 million more for a team that has narrowly ducked the second apron in consecutive seasons.
After trading for Mikal Bridges and giving a massive contract to OG Anunoby, the pay cut had the team narrowly avoid the dreaded second apron, while also allowing them to swing a massive training camp trade. The Knicks aren’t able to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns if they passed that line, but Leon Rose bet that the seemingly overpaid All-NBA center would be a key piece of a championship contender.
Later down the line, the Knicks were able to ink Bridges to a $150 million extension without threatening to blow past the aprons and the team was even able to open up a mid-level exception in the following offseason, which they used to sign Guerschon Yabusele.
Yabusele, of course, eventually became José Alvarado, who was one of the saviors in Game 4.
The Knicks will almost certainly be a second apron team next year, something that will be totally worth it with a title in the rearview mirror, but they would be on the verge of being deconstructed if not for Brunson’s patience.
If he doesn’t take that pay cut, the two-year window of the second apron would’ve ended right now. Instead, this core will get two more cracks at it to turn a one-off title into a dynasty.
The greatest leader New York sports has ever known.
NEW YORK — This is something that spanned generations.
This was 53 years of parents telling their children that, perhaps, this was the year. This was Ewing and Starks and Houston getting ever-so-close in ’99. This was icons like Carmelo and Camby who were players on good teams that could never be great teams. It was even Marbury and Stoudemire, fan favorites who captured the hearts of the city but who often had the misfortune of playing on bad teams.
The New York Knicks, with a magical run through the 2026 postseason – one of the greatest playoff performances of all-time – became basketball royalty with their relentless resilience that saw them claim the NBA Finals in five games over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, June 13.
This is why, even though the ’73 team featured a remarkable eight Hall of Famers, these Knicks will go down as the greatest team in franchise history.
In Radio City Music Hall, confetti tumbled from the ceiling of a sold out watch party, as the team’s official anthem, "Go New York Go," thundered over the sound system.
A block party broke out in the West Village, on W. 4th near Christopher Park, where people gathered on their fire escapes to belt out the chorus of "Empire State of Mind," joining the thousands who flooded the streets below.
In Harlem, residents poured out of walk-ups and bars to shut down 116th and Frederick Douglass Blvd. They drank and sang, and one man set off Roman Candles in the middle of the street. Another rolled up in his neon green Harley Davidson and blasted Busta Rhymes’ "New York S***" for everyone to hear, a song whose lyrics include "I rep the Giants, Jets, New York Knicks."
In Wollman Rink in Central Park, where New Yorkers go to pickleball in the summer and ice skate in the winter, a pair of massive screens beamed the game to thousands, backlit by the towering corridor of opulent skyscrapers along Billionaires’ Row.
You can swap the names of the places because they were all interchangeable. This was the vibe across the Bronx and Brooklyn, too, from Highbridge in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, to Williamsburg on the banks of the East River. This spanned all five boroughs.
There were men and women, young and old. They were Black and white and Asian and everything in between. There were recent arrivals to the bandwagon and lifers. It didn’t matter. They all spilled out into this hot night to celebrate together because that is how this city honors its very best.
Though it was under wholly different circumstances, tonight reminded me of another celebration, one far more somber in nature. Back in April of 2020, as COVID-19 cases ripped through the city and we were confined to our apartments, someone found a way to honor first-responders and medical staff who were keeping the city safe: every evening at 7 p.m., residents opened their windows and banged pots and pans to recognize the efforts of those putting themselves at risk.
Tonight, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, there was no need to stay inside. The city chose to celebrate together all the same.
And though the parade has been set for Thursday, June 18, New York almost certainly won’t need to wait another 53 years for this feeling. If anything, these Knicks are built to last.
Jalen Brunson, the Finals Most Valuable Player, is 29 and signed to an extremely team-friendly deal, one he agreed to on condition that the team use the salary cap space to attract other key players. Karl-Anthony Towns is 30, Mikal Bridges is 29 and OG Anunoby is 28.
Mike Brown was coaching his first season with the franchise, but, more than anything, these Knicks proved in convincing fashion that winning in the contemporary NBA is not necessarily about accruing star players, but finding ones who perfectly fit a system and a vision. In the era of parity – in which New York made it eight different champions in as many seasons – it’s not about a Big Three or blockbuster signings, but about holistic roster construction.
"I love my players, love the organization, but more importantly, let’s go New York," Brown told reporters after the game, holding his grandson, Iverson, in his lap. "Let’s go New York. We can’t wait to get back home."
SECAUCUS, NJ - AUGUST 20: Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Mark Tatum holds up the card of the Phoenix Suns after they get the 10th overall pick in the NBA Draft during the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery on August 20, 2020 at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Ten days. That is all that separates the Phoenix Suns from the 2026 NBA Draft. Sure, the draft technically begins in 9 days, and current FanDuel projections have BYU’s AJ Dybantsa going first overall. But the Suns won’t be involved in any of that. They don’t own a first-round pick. Instead, the Memphis Grizzlies will make the selection that would have belonged to Phoenix based on the results of the 2025-26 season. Memphis currently holds the 16th overall pick, while the Suns are left with the 17th pick in the second round, No. 47 overall.
But is that how things will ultimately play out? And more importantly, is that what we want?
The fan base appears pretty split on the subject. According to this week’s poll, 58% of Suns fans believe the team should make a trade and move up in the draft. The remaining 42% believe Phoenix should stand pat and select at No. 47.
Honestly, I can see both sides. If you want to move up in the draft, it isn’t free. It’s going to cost something. Unfortunately, the Suns don’t have an abundance of assets at their disposal. Unless we’re talking about attaching future second-round picks, something Phoenix is already short on, the most likely outcome is that the team stays where it is and makes a selection at No. 47.
And that’s where the real question begins. What is the responsible move for the organization at this point in time? Is this a season in which patience makes the most sense? Should the Suns stay put, continue evaluating what they have, see who they become under this new direction, and then make more aggressive draft decisions a year from now?
Those are all fair questions.
Personally, I’d love to see the Suns move into the front half of the second round. No, you’re probably not drafting a future All-Star. But if it only costs a couple of second-round picks to move up in what is considered a deep draft, I think it’s worth exploring. And if you’re asking me who I’d target? I’d love to see them go after Zuby Ejiofor out of St. John’s. That would feel like a slam dunk selection for Phoenix.
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait much longer. Ten days from now, we’ll have our answer.
NBA Finals courtside tickets sold for more than $100,000 as the New York Knicks pushed for their first NBA championship since 1973, a feat clinched Saturday night. In Madison Square Garden, much of the front row was occupied by celebrities, including Taylor Swift, who attended Game 4.
On Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who the Knicks defeated in the conference finals, will soon find out how valuable those seats are after the games are done.
In partnership with authenticated memorabilia marketplace The Realest, Cleveland is auctioning the chair Swift sat in during the Cavs’ Eastern Conference finals series against New York. As of Saturday evening, the top bid was $7,000. Travis Kelce’s spot is also available, as are chairs used by Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Machine Gun Kelly.
“I’m definitely surprised at how much attention it’s gotten,” Cavaliers chief marketing officer Chris Kaiser said. Earlier this year, the team sold a seat used by LeBron James when the Lakers visited for $1,905. But the Cavs didn’t stop there. For $245 more, a collector grabbed the grip powder LeBron used during his signature pre-game routine.
“Anything that our authenticators can put their eyes on and mark, it’s all fair game,” Kaiser said.
The definition of sports memorabilia has expanded in recent years alongside a boom in collecting and the support of companies like The Realest, which has developed an expertise in authenticating off-beat items, from Lincoln Financial Field snow to a Ryder Cup rake. Kaiser is hopeful that the team’s eye-catching offerings will also generate awareness of more traditional auction items. The highest price paid this year was for a James Harden jersey worn during his home debut with the team in February.
Working with The Realest and selling the items directly will give fans more confidence in their authenticity, Kaiser said. The team is already considering in-arena activations, such as the ability to bid on a night’s game-used ball up until the final buzzer. By this time next year, Kaiser said, he anticipates the Cavs’ memorabilia offerings representing a mid-six-figure business.
Days after the virtual gavel bangs on Taylor Swift’s chair, Cleveland will drop another collection of items. Coming up soon: the ceremonial sword several celebs and former players have held aloft as part of the team’s pregame ceremonies.
As for what a fan might do with such a saber? That’s up for the highest bidder to decide.
The 2026 NBA Finals finished up last night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, with the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks, which was making their first championship appearance since the 1998-1999 season, defeating the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs for the title. For the Knicks, it was their first NBA championship since 1973.
Both teams have drafted players near and far when it comes to constructing their rosters as athletes are dotted along each roster hailing from states within the country and around the world. The starting players from New York all played a role in helping bring the Big Apple a title, but where did the Knicks’ players all play in high school boys hoops at?
Rivals went through the entire roster for the 2026 NBA champion New York Knicks, giving to you where each of the players starred on the prep boys basketball scene.
New York Knicks: Where did they play in high school?
Before Brunson arrived to the Big Apple and became the face of the Knicks, he was a high school hoops star out of the Prairie State. The point guard was a five-star product coming out of Adlai Stevenson High School and had plenty of accolades along the way. Brunson led Adlai Stevenson to the 2015 IHSA Class 4A state championship, and was also a McDonald’s All-American in addition to being Illinois Mr. Basketball.
One of the most versatile players for the Knicks heading into tonight’s showdown with the Spurs is Anunoby, who played his high school boys hoops out of the Show Me State of Missouri. During his hay day as a three-star forward prospect, Anunoby averaged 19 points, 8.6 rebounds as a senior and was a Missouri Mr. Basketball finalist.
Whether Bridges is asked to cover guards on the perimeter or needed to head into the painted area and snag rebounds, he’s a do-it-all type player for New York. The former Villanova star played his high school boys basketball at Great Valley, earning Class AAAA all-star selectee and Philadelphia-area honors.
The big man for the New York Knicks has been the next biggest star next to Brunson throughout this playoff run, which has brought the franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance in nearly three decades. Towns was a five-star prospect out of Saint Joseph where he won multiple state championships and was a McDonald’s All-American.
Another former Villanova product has shined on the big stage for New York and will look to do so again beginning tonight in Texas. Hart back in his high school boys basketball playing days was a four-star shooting guard prospect, ranking as the state’s No. 2 player and No. 12 at his position. Hart was a First-team All-Met selection and led Sidwell Friends to a 22-9 record his senior campaign.
The 7-foot, 222-pound center will likely be tasked with covering arguably the league’s top player in Victor Wembanyama throughout the series because of his length and agility. Robinson was a can’t miss prospect out of the Pelican State, ranking as a five-star prospect before heading off to play collegiately at Western Kentucky. Robinson finished his high school career at Chalmette after being at Pensacola (Fla.) Pine Forest, named a McDonald’s All-American and averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds per game.
McBride is a rotation player for the Knicks that will be expected to play key minutes throughout the NBA Finals. Before his days in the NBA and collegiately, however, McBride starred at Archbishop Moeller where he led the Crusaders to multiple state titles and earned all-state honors.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Clarkson tonight as he will play in a city where he made a name for himself on the high school boys basketball scene. In his senior season out of the Lone Star State, Clarkson was named San Antonio Player of the Year before playing collegiately at Missouri.
Played his college days at Georgia Tech after his high school boys basketball career playing for one of New York’s top teams in Christ The King Regional. There with the Lions, Alvarado his junior season was the CHSAA Player of the Year and notched the ultra-rare quadruple-double in a game his senior year.
Sochan was one of the best high school boys basketball players out of the state of Tennessee coming out, rated as a four-star forward before playing at Baylor University. The forward played at a number of schools during and after his high school days, including Itchen College (UK), La Lumiere School (Indiana; junior year) and eventually played professionally in Germany.
When it comes to little or no fanfare coming out of high school, but ending up playing at the highest level, that’s the story for Shamet. The guard played mostly at Bartram Trail (Fla.) before heading to Park Hill and eventually collegiately at Wichita State.
Dadiet didn’t play any high school boys basketball within the states as he starred at Saint-Charles Charenton for nearly a decade before entering the professional world of hoops. The 6-foot-9, 217-pound forward for the Knicks could see rotational time in the Finals series.
A Rhode Island high school boys basketball standout before heading to college and the pros, Kolek was the 2019 Rhode Island Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year after scoring 1,000 points his senior year and earning all-state honors.
Hukporti is another international player that developed outside of the United States before jumping into the NBA. The 7-foot, 245-pound center spent a majority of his time in the German youth basketball system before playing professionally in Austraila and Europe.
Another player that played his high school boys basketball growing up in the San Antonio area and now will be back in the city is McCullar, who like Clarkson also played at Wagner. McCullar re-classed and graduated early to play collegiately at Texas Tech before moving on to Kansas.
Rounding out the list of 16 players heading into tonight’s NBA Finals is Jones, who is the lone representative of the Knicks from the state of Kansas. Jones for his first three years of high school boys basketball played at W.J. Keenan High School in Columbia, South Carolina where he won a SCHSL Class 3A state crown before heading to Sunrise Christian Academy for his senior season.
