Jalen Brunson gave his most pointed dig yet at his doubters.
The Knicks star delivered a message to the haters at City Hall after the team paraded through the Canyon of Heroes on Thursday morning as they celebrated winning their first NBA title in 53 years.
As Brunson stepped up to the microphone, he received “MVP” chants from the crowd.
Jalen Brunson says when people with negative opinions are proven wrong, 'You don't have to say s–t to them!' pic.twitter.com/jFNxDGMwMO
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 18, 2026
He went on to make a speech, emphasizing he “wouldn’t trade this for the world” and concluded with a message to the doubters.
“There’s a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say. There’s a lot of people who have a lot of opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you really don’t have to say s–t to them,” Brunson said.
Jalen Brunson speaks during the Knicks’ championship celebration at City Hall on June 18, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
The comment received a boom of cheers from the crowd and Brunson opened his mouth as if he was going to add to his statement, but instead he said, “Nah, they don’t deserve it. Appreciate y’all. Thank you!”
Here’s the latest coverage on the Knicks’ historic ticker-tape championship parade
In the press conference following the 94-90 Game 5 victory in San Antonio, the three-time All-Star was asked about those comments and gave a direct answer, similar to what he said Thursday.
“I didn’t respond to them then, I’m damn sure not gonna respond to them now,” he said.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson #11, with Mariska Hargitay and his dad Rick, with the Championship trophy riding on a float during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway through Lower Manhattan’s historic Canyon of Heroes.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Critics said Brunson isn’t a “1A” player because doesn’t fit the usual type. He isn’t a large guard like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant nor a big guy like Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan, as traditional examples.
The biggest critic with that take on Brunson has been Aces head coach Becky Hammon.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson #11, carrying the Championship trophy along Broadway through Lower Manhattan’s historic Canyon of Heroes. Erik Pendzich / BACKGRID
He was named Finals MVP after scoring 45 points in the championship-winning Game 5 on Saturday and proved to be a unanimous selection for the Bill Russell Trophy among 11 voters.
Brunson is one of only three other players to score 45 or more points in a closeout Finals game.
During Thursday’s parade, he soaked in the title win, lifting the Larry O’Brien championship trophy among crazed Knicks fans in a packed lower Manhattan alongside wife Ali and daughter Jordyn, who turns 2 in July.
Prior to upcoming NBA draft, Golden State Warriors' general manager Mike Dunleavy addresses the media at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, June 23, 2025. (Photo by Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer reports on the possibility of a Trey Murphy III trade between the Warriors and Pelicans.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst gives context to Wizards’ Trae Young declining his $48.97 million player option to become a free agent.
The Golden State Warriors are entering the final stages of their pre-draft process with the 2026 NBA Draft less than a week away. On Wednesday, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. held a press conference to discuss the draft, the team’s offseason priorities, and how the front office plans to approach the No. 11 overall pick.
One notable takeaway from Dunleavy’s presser was his insistence that the Warriors expect to add at least one player from this year’s draft. The 2026 class is widely considered one of the strongest in recent years, making this an important opportunity for Golden State to add young talent. While they still have a championship-caliber player in Stephen Curry, he will be 39 years old next March, underscoring the need to add more talent and depth to a roster that finished 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs.
Whether that means drafting at No. 11, trading back for additional picks, or making another move that allows them to add talent elsewhere, Dunleavy made it clear the Warriors will explore every avenue available to improve the roster.
Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. feels fairly confident the team will keep the 11th pick as of right now:
“I just feel like, as strong as this draft is, we should probably come out of this draft with a player, unless you know if something falls into our lap, trade-wise.” pic.twitter.com/kuU7fPFtQf
“I’ve had conversations with kind of all of our free agents,” Dunleavy said during a Wednesday news conference. “Their representatives. I think we’re in a good place with all of them … as far as Draymond and KP, Draymond has the player option, but we’re in communication with his group. Then same thing with KP. Both guys, I think, we value, we want here, and we see them as a kind of (a) piece of the puzzle next season.”
To that end, league sources say, Ament has decided not to work out for the Warriors, who hold the No. 11 pick.
Golden State’s selection has proven to be a spot on the board that various rival teams have begun to pinpoint as a potential trade opportunity … partly because New Orleans is no longer hanging up on teams calling to inquire about two-way wing Trey Murphy III and the Warriors’ longstanding interest in Murphy has been well-chronicled.
The Pelicans are known to “want a lot” for Murphy, as one interested team told The Stein Line last week, but they will at least listen. The Pelicans, furthermore, are also known to be very interested in acquiring a lottery pick for next week’s festivities. New Orleans, at present, only holds No. 58 at the end of next Wednesday’s second round.
Big pre-draft workout day for the Warriors tomorrow with Brayden Burries, Labaron Philon Jr. and Hannes Steinbach coming through Chase Center @NBCSWarriors
The parade begins at 10 a.m. ET with the route starting near Bowling Green in lower Manhattan before going north along Broadway and ending at City Hall. A ceremony will take place at City Hall, and singer Alicia Keys will perform her hit “Empire State of Mind,” which she recorded in 2009 with Jay-Z, following the parade.
Here are all the top sights and sounds from the Knicks’ championship parade.
"He's going to re-sign with the Wizards, likely on a three-year, very large contract."@Windhorstespn gives an update on what could be next for Trae Young 🏀 pic.twitter.com/rQBcWPgczD
Through it all, Wilson never ducked the smoke that comes with being a young superstar. He told reporters he changed his phone background to the McDonald’s All-American Game ahead of an early season showdown with Kansas, because Jayhawks super freshman Darryn Peterson didn’t pass him the ball at the event. He kept a personal “kill list” of opponents he wanted to dominate, and he consistently checked names off the list all year.
As he enters the 2026 NBA Draft, Wilson is embracing the pressure that comes with being a likely top-4 pick.
“I’m going to change their franchise,” Wilson said of the team who drafts him at the combine. “I’m going to change the culture of their franchise and I’m going to change the city, honestly. I’m a culture changer. I did the same thing at North Carolina.”
Follow@unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
Jalen Brunson has been proving people wrong his entire life and last Saturday he added another accomplishment to his mantle when he led the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years after toppling the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
It was on the back of Brunson's 45-point barrage in Game 5 that steered New York to another one of its notorious comebacks and sealed his case to be NBA Finals MVP — his third MVP trophy this season after taking home Eastern Conference Finals MVP as well as NBA Cup MVP earlier in the year.
On a grander scale, the point guard's performance on the biggest stage cemented himself as a Knicks all-time great, which was on full display during Thursday's championship parade.
Following speeches by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Knicks owner James Dolan, team president Leon Rose, head coach Mike Brown and others, Brunson was summoned to the podium as the only player to give a speech and received a raucous welcome — even a standing ovation by some — from fans gathered in front of City Hall before chants of "MVP! MVP!" broke out.
The Finals MVP who just finished his fourth season in New York by bringing a championship back to the city began his speech by thanking the front office for "believing in a kid no one else would," his teammates for "giving [him] confidence every single day" and his family for "their sacrifice" for without, nothing would be possible.
Brunson also made sure to shout out the fans, who he admitted can be his biggest critics at times.
"Most importantly, thank you to the fans. I’m not gonna lie, y’all are some pretty hard critics, but we appreciate it," he said. "At least I do. Appreciate it a lot."
Brunson gave himself some time to reflect on the moment while also revealing he had no doubts he and the Knicks would pull it out.
"Damn, we really did it dog. Somehow, someway, I knew we were gonna find a way to get this done," he said.
To close out his speech, Brunson alluded to the haters, of which there are plenty, who have publicly spoken ill of him or his size or his talent in the past. And while the message was clearly directed toward those people, the essence of what he said could apply to anybody going through something similar.
"Lastly, there’s a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say, there’s a lot of people who have a lot of opinions," he said. "But when you prove them wrong you don’t have to say s--t to them. Nah, they don’t deserve it, they don’t deserve it. Appreciate you all, thank you."
Knicks guard Tyler Kolek had a run-in with police after they seemingly mistook him for a fan during the team’s championship parade in New York on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Kolek was running along the parade route and greeting fans while holding a Michelob Ultra in one hand when he was stopped by two police officers who grabbed him.
One officer was seen shaking his head, appearing to say “no,” while another turned him around an pointed for him to leave the area.
That’s when others intervened to inform the officers that Kolek was a member of the championship team.
The officers backed down after that.
Kolek, who did not look happy, was seen saying something to them as he ran off.
Knicks guard Tyler Kolek was stopped by police after they mistook him for a fan during the team’s championship parade in New York on Thursday, June 18, 2026. X/Kimberley MartinKnicks guard Tyler Kolek was stopped by police after they mistook him for a fan during the team’s championship parade in New York on Thursday, June 18, 2026. X/Kimberley Martin
“I swear I’m on the team bro,” Kolek wrote on X, responding to post that said, “security almost tackled” him.
At one point, Kolek went live on Instagram and showed himself holding the Knicks’ NBA Cup trophy that they won after defeating the Spurs 124-113 in the league’s mid-season tournament in December.
“This my real trophy right here. Y’all got that one I got this one,” Kolek told Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who was named MVP of the NBA Finals, referring to the Larry O’Brien championship trophy.
“This my real trophy right here. Y’all got that one I got this one”
Tyler Kolek to Jalen Brunson while holding the NBA Cup trophy
Kolek did not play in any of the 2026 NBA Finals games, in which New York won four of five against the Spurs to clinch their first championship in 53 years.
He was a second round pick out of Marquette by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Kolek spent the 2024-25 season with the Westchester Knicks, the Knicks’ G-League affiliate team.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayor and OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks are seen on a float during the New York Knicks Championship ticker tape parade and victory rally celebrating winning the 2026 NBA Finals on June 18, 2026 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win their first NBA Championship in 53 years. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Indiana men’s basketball program alumnus OG Anunoby helped lead the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in over five decades this month, earning his second title in the process.
The Knicks were honored on Thursday in New York City with a championship parade that culminated at New York City Hall, where Anunoby was one of multiple players to receive a key to the city from Mayor Zohran Mamdani:
One striking image sums up the jubilation of Knicks fans — and the adoration they have for team leader Jalen Brunson as the Big Apple celebrated the championship hometown team Thursday.
A photo snapped along the parade route shows throngs of revelers reaching out to the Knicks star point guard as he held the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the celebration along the Canyon of Heroes.
Several cops surrounded Brunson, who held the Larry O’Brien Tropy while fans held their hands high eager to snap a photo of greatness up close.
Jalen Brunson, upper right, of the NBA Champion New York Knicks carries the trophy for fans during the ticker-tape parade on Broadway. AP Photo/Richard DrewJalen Brunson gets closer to fans while holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
Brunson led the Knickerbockers over the San Antonio Spurs, notching the NBA Finals in five games to send the city in a frenzy.
An estimated 2 million fans flooded lower Manhattan and partied like they’ve waited 53 years for a championship with plenty of heartbreak, humiliation and hopelessness along the way.
The parade kicked off at 10 a.m., but pens for viewing had hit capacity hours before.
When Brunson rose to talk at the City Hall ceremony, he received a standing ovation from attendees who chanted “M-V-P.”
“Most importantly, thank you to the fans. Not gonna lie though, ya’ll are some pretty hard critics,” he said as the crowd chuckled. “But we appreciate it, at least I do. I appreciate it a lot.”
With five days left until the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Warriors on Thursday got a look at three very different point guards they could be eyeing.
Brayden Burries, Labaron Philon Jr. and Bennett Stirtz showcased their skills on the Warriors’ practice court as part of a big pre-draft workout that also included Washington star big man Hannes Steinbach and Baylor wing Cameron Carr. Stirtz and Carr were late additions to Thursday’s workout and weren’t available to the media, unlike Burries and Philon, as well as Steinbach.
Thriving in Northern California is nothing new to Burries. Down the road at Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings, Burries scored an Open Division record 44 points in the state championship to beat San Francisco’s Archbishop Riordan High School and cap off his prep career. During that playoff run, Burries also formed a relationship with Warriors legend and possible future teammate Draymond Green when the two met after a game.
On Thursday, Green was at his home court rooting Burries on. Playing next to respected vets is something Burries hopes to have from his first NBA home.
“He was talking to me before, and then during the workout he was just, like, encouraging me,” Burries said Thursday to reporters. “Little things like that, I feel it’s pretty cool, because he doesn’t have to be doing that. He could be gone. But he’s just helping me, telling me to continue to push through. And then after the workout we chopped it up a little bit.
“I feel like he’s a great vet, honestly.”
Green always has loved to dive deep into the draft and even offer his opinion to the front office. If he pushes for Burries, it’s easy to see why.
In line with other strong young guards like Dylan Harper, Burries has the frame to thrive at the next level. He’s 215 pounds of pure muscle on his 6-foot-4 frame, and it shows on the court. Burries isn’t great at beating defenders off the dribble, but he explodes off his feet and had the fourth-highest standing vertical at the combine (35 inches) and the fourth-fastest lane agility run (10.59 seconds). Those kinds of bunnies help make Burries a great rebounding guard, too.
He also can let it fly from deep as a multi-level scorer. Burries shot 39.1 percent on threes while taking 4.6 attempts per game at Arizona. A single label of point guard or shooting guard doesn’t describe his game enough.
“Something my dad always told me is to just be a complete basketball player. Somebody who can kind of do it all: Pass, defend, shoot, score,” he says.
That’s what everyone wants to be in the NBA, including Philon, who doesn’t have the same build as Burries. He’s an inch shorter, has the same 6-foot-6 wingspan but weighed in at 176 pounds. Skinny guards always are a cause for concern defensively.
Philon, however, says he plays bigger than what he weighed in at, and he’s already putting weight back on. He played at 185 pounds last season at Alabama and is hovering around 180 to 183 pounds right now. Plus, Philon won’t be asked to carry such a heavy offensive load to start his pro career, allowing him to have more energy on defense.
“My ability to play on and off the ball is really special,” Philon said. “And then to still be able to do it on the other side of the ball is really important.”
His freshman year at Alabama showed promise. His sophomore year was special.
Philon last season ranked third in the SEC in points per game (22.0) and fourth in assists per game (5.0). He did so while also shooting 39.9 percent from 3-point range on 6.2 attempts per game.
Another difference between him and Burries is that Philon lives under the rim. Rising for dunks isn’t part of his game. Getting into the paint and making the defense make a decision is. That’s a skill he wanted to show off in front of the Warriors, too.
“Just my ability to get in the paint and create for others,” Philon said when asked what his goal for the day was.
It also doesn’t hurt that Philon’s “idol” growing up was Steph Curry. Even as he grew up in Mobile, Ala., Philon had three Curry jerseys as a kid: Blue, white and gold.
Burries is the least likely of the bunch to be available with the No. 11 pick. There’s a good chance Philon still is on the board. Stirtz definitely will be.
The Iowa point guard is more of a trade-down option for the Warriors, or someone they could trade back into the first round for. Burries will be 21 before his first NBA game. Philon turns 21 in late November. Stirtz, a senior, will be 23 prior to his first pro game.
After two great seasons in Division II, Stirtz transferred to Drake and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as a junior; he then leveled up again as a senior to Iowa, where he was named Second Team All-Big Ten. He has similar size to Philon and is a little sturdier.
Is he a top athlete? No. Stirtz is a highly skilled player who could surprise some with where he lands. He knows how to operate an offense and shot 37.2 percent from three in his two years of D-I ball. Stirtz swiped 123 steals between his days at Drake and Iowa, and he is extremely smart with the ball, tallying 363 assists to just 138 turnovers in that span.
Getting Curry and the rest of the roster help with more ball-handlers and playmakers is a Warriors priority, whether that’s through the draft, trades or free agency.
Politicians always speak at team victory rallies after the city wins a championship, but often in broad tones. They only talk about the star players, give kudos to the owner, and generally don’t show a lot of understanding when it comes to the team itself, the history, or the significance of the moment.
New York City mayor Zohan Mamdani flipped the script on Thursday when he stepped to the mic at the Knicks victory rally and delivered one of the most incredible, insightful, and inspiring speeches that a public official has delivered about a team. You don’t need to agree with his politics, or even like him as a person to appreciate that this is a guy who really knows the team he’s talking about.
The first part of the speech was focused on the city. How the pain, and anticipation became part of the fabric of the city. Mamdani highlighted the fans watching games on the street through the windows of electronic shops, at the bar, alone in their apartments, or shoulder-to-shoulder at the bar. It’s here he shouted out not just Knicks legends, but iconic moments and superfans. It was a heck of a way to kick things off.
As amazing as this way was, the second was almost better. Showing an unreal understanding of team building, Mamdani gave shout-outs to a lot of the players who are no longer with the team, but who helped build the culture of the 2025-26 Knicks to become champions — and even gave credit to Tom Thibodeau for his guidance before turning the team over.
This will truly rank among the great sports speeches of all time. Not just by a politician at a victory rally, but ever. It was pretty much perfect.
“There are a lot of people who have a lot of opinions, but when you prove them wrong, you don’t have to say (expletive) to them,” Brunson told the crowd, which erupted in cheers immediately afterward. “Nah, they don’t deserve it. Appreciate y’all, thank you.”
Earlier in his career, Brunson had at times faced criticism, in particular for his 6-foot-2 size. The context being that shorter players like Brunson would have a hard time carrying a contender.
Brunson, with his scoring outbursts and clutch play in fourth quarters, quieted those narratives in emphatic fashion.
This follows comments Brunson made Saturday, June 13, after the Knicks topped the San Antonio Spurs in the decisive Game 5 of the Finals.
Spike Lee has had plenty of courtside moments with the Knicks.
This one was different.
The legendary filmmaker and longtime Knicks superfan was in full celebration mode during Thursday’s championship parade through Lower Manhattan, soaking in the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years from a float alongside the Brunson family.
Spike Lee attends a championship ticker-tape parade celebrating the team’s NBA Finals victory in New York on June 18, 2026. AFP via Getty ImagesSpike Lee rides on Jalen Brunson’s float at the 2026 NBA Champion New York Knicks ticker-tape parade. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Lee, who has been a fixture at Madison Square Garden for decades, was seen reveling in the moment as the Knicks celebrated the end of one of the longest championship waits in New York sports.
“I’ve never been to a parade ever,” Lee told MSG while being interviewed on the float. “I’m glad it’s this one!”
Lee also thanked the Brunson family for inviting him onto their float and said he felt blessed to be part of the celebration.
Lee, who has been a fixture at Madison Square Garden for decades, was seen reveling in the moment as the Knicks celebrated the end of one of the longest championship waits in New York sports. Robert Miller for NY Post
Then he gave the moment a very Spike ending.
After the interview, Lee kissed the interviewer on the cheek before breaking into a dance, pointing his arms up and down as the parade rolled on.
It was a fitting scene for one of the most recognizable Knicks fans in the world.
Lee has been part of the team’s public identity for generations, sitting courtside through playoff runs, painful collapses, rebuilds and years when The Garden had far more frustration than celebration.
That made Thursday’s parade feel like more than just another celebrity appearance.
For Lee, it was the payoff for decades of loyalty.
It has also been quite a year for the filmmaker’s sporting life.
Lee, a known Arsenal fan, also saw the Gunners win the Premier League this season, ending their own long wait for a league title.
For Lee, Thursday’s parade was the payoff for decades of loyalty. Erik Pendzich/ShutterstockLee has been part of the team’s public identity for generations, sitting courtside through playoff runs, painful collapses, rebuilds and years when The Garden had far more frustration than celebration. Stephen Yang for NY Post
But Thursday belonged to the Knicks.
As fans packed the streets in blue and orange, Lee was right in the middle of it — smiling, dancing and enjoying a parade that had been more than five decades in the making.
After all those nights courtside at the Garden, Spike finally got his Knicks championship moment.
NEW YORK − MD Ahnaf Hossain is, like countless other 23-year-old recent college graduates, looking for a job. Preferably in finance, the Queens resident told USA TODAY in a recent FaceTime call from a park in lower Manhattan, before the New York Knicks Thursday, June 17, championship parade. He donned a Knicks cap, glasses slightly lowered, and a Portugal jersey, for the World Cup.
The Knicks eventually won their first NBA championship since 1973, in five games. Hossain adjusted his lines with the extra game ("The Pope's on our side / Knicks in five"). As Nas, another Queens poet said, it was written.
In his city, Hossain has become equivalent to Homer, the ancient Greek poet credited with the epic, “The Odyssey.”
“At this point, I might actually become one,” Hossain said of a career as a poet, pointing to lines he said came to him impromptu on a warm night in the city.
Hossain's poem was as much a celebration of the Knicks as it was a love letter to New York City, his home since his family moved from Bangladesh when he was a year old. He first began rooting for the Knicks during Brooklyn native Carmelo Anthony's era, when Hossain was a kid.
“I grew up in Jamaica, Queens, and there's so many different cultures in there,“ he said. “I'm sure you might be able to find someone from every country in the world.”
While he thought he wasn’t the first person to feel this way, he said, “I just saw that mic that night, and I just had to say what was in my heart.”
In retrospect, he easily recalls the diversity of the winning team. Jose Alvarado, a Brooklyn native, is Puerto Rican. Jordan Clarkson is half-Filipino. Karl-Anthony Towns is half-Dominican. The Knicks' captain Jalen Brunson, Hossain recounted, “good-old American.”
“It's a mix of all these different cultures from around the world,“ he said. “That’s exactly what New York is, and what makes it the best city in the world.”
The day before the city's parade, Hossain said he'd be at the parade but was still figuring out his role. On Thursday morning, he posted on Instagram for Good Morning America, ABC's eminent national program. Hossain was near the steps of New York City Hall, before the Knicks received the keys to the city.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave a rousing speech before handing the New York Knicks players keys to the city after a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes.
The Knicks broke a 53-year championship drought with a five-game romp in the NBA Finals over the San Antonio Spurs, and more than a million people gathered in lower Manhattan to celebrate the triumph.
During Mamdani's speech, he gave a rundown of the Knicks' history from the moment in 1973 when the team won its second championship.
The mayor thanked the players and coaches who came before them, naming Tom Thibodeau, who was fired last season after leading New York to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
"This championship belongs to them too, because championships aren't just built in one season," he said.
Mamdami spoke about the odds the Knicks faced, especially when they were down by 29 points in the second half in Game 4 and came back to win on OG Ananoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds left.
"The Knicks did not just win for New York City," he said. "They won like New York City. What is New York if not your back up against the wall, a dream that feels just out of reach, a rent payment you don't know how you'll ever make, 99.6% of the world stacked against you. And who are New Yorkers if not people who hear those odds and smile and ask, 'Why are you giving me a head start?'
"This is our city. This is our team. For 53 years, we watched; for 53 years, we waited. Now we've won," Mamdani said. "Knicks in!? Knicks in?!"
Joining the crowd is not the only thing Hart has done for the fans during the parade; he also signed a jersey for an NYPD officer.
The former Villanova Wildcat has become a man of the people in New York for his blue-collar style of play, which had him grabbing 8.9 rebounds per game in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
“This city is built on toughness, grit, blue-collar people,” Hart said before Game 5.
New York Knicks player Josh Hart celebrates with fans during the ticker-tape parade. @NBA/X
“I feel like I’m the same person. They can look in the mirror, they can see themselves, just because that’s how I look at myself. I just happen to hoop.”
Hart has been the spiritual and energy leader for the Knicks all season, but his efforts were best displayed during Game 1 of the NBA Finals when he became the first player in an NBA Finals game to lead both teams outright in rebounds (15), assists (6) and steals (4).
Throughout the entire finals, Hart seemed to be in the right spot at the right time nearly the entire time.
He averaged 7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals in the five-game finals.
“I think the city really embraced me, my style of play, me as a person,” Hart said. “When you do that, you feel like you’re able to go out there and play your best.”
In hopes of teaming up LeBron James with Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors have offered James a $15.1 million contract for the 2026-27 season.
The possibility of LeBron James’ time as a Laker could be coming to an end.
According to ESPN NBA insider Anthony Slater, the Golden State Warriors are willing to offer James a full non-taxpayer midlevel, team-friendly deal of $15.1 million next season.
Slater also added that the Warriors’ sales pitch to James could also include a player option for a second season, and that the team could get Steph Curry in on the recruitment process, but they haven’t explored that option yet.
In hopes of teaming up LeBron James with Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors will offer James a $15.1 million contract for the 2026-27 season. Getty Images
In the past, James has voiced how much he’s enjoyed playing alongside Curry, calling it “Everything and more.”
If James decides to come back and play in his 24th season, he will still be considered one of the top free agents available this offseason after averaging 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, and would make any team he plays for a legitimate title contender.
James will turn 42 in December and is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career.
But like James, Curry is also nearing the end of his basketball career, after winning 4 championships, 2 MVP awards, and being selected as a 12-time All-Star.
With the days numbering down, the Warriors are looking to win one more title while Curry is still in the building.
If the Warriors manage to convince James to head up north and join forces with Curry, they will have a team that features the two of them, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler.
While the Warriors are heavily interested in acquiring James, Slater did note that team sources have indicated to him that it appears more likely that a reunion between James and the Lakers seems more likely.
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BRONX, NY - JUNE 17: Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart of the New York Knicks smile after throwing out the First Pitch at the New York Yankees Game on June 17, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York. 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
First mailbag in a while. First championship mailbag ever. Life is good.
How high did your blood pressure spike when it actually happened? I know my answer because I have to monitor mine.
— Unmitigated Gall
By the fourth quarter of Game 5 my body was completely falling apart. I’m not sure I was designed to withstand that much joy.
I’m not very externally emotive, in general and certainly fan-wise. I’d rather die than boo a player or a ref in-person, and from the comfort of home I mostly internalize my emotions (cursing is not an emotion). My sister was two rooms away when the Knicks won Game 5; she said she was surprised she didn’t hear much from me as the game wound down. Not me. There are reasons I watch Knick games — and of all my teams, only Knick games — alone. On the surface, I am quiet as a churchmouse. Underneath, I am louder than Krakatoa.
By the fourth quarter I was no longer hoping the Knicks would win; I was craving. It was an actual lust in my body. I believed in them, more than I’ve believed in any Knick team since 1994 broke my heart. With 2:40 remaining, I was already weepy. Once OG Anunoby hit the free throw to make it a four-point lead with 20 seconds left, my legs started shaking. After a Stephon Castle follow-dunk and a Knick timeout to inbound from the frontcourt, Jalen Brunson was mugged at midcourt by Victor Wembanyama, with the loose ball luckily falling into the hands of Mikal Bridges. Had that obvious foul instead resulted in a turnover, I would have literally climbed through my TV like the girl from The Ring to torment Scott Foster & Co. for life.
I missed most of the televised aftermath of the game ending. Didn’t see the trophy ceremony until after it was over. I was too busy bawling. I don’t have language for what I was feeling, for what was released. I’ve wept after losing a child. Wept after the worst physical pain of my life. Cried tears of joy countless times. This was none of those things.
Someone asked me yesterday how I’m feeling now, nearly a week later. The truth is I’ve been mostly paralyzed with joy. It feels like someone planted bombs in my head and my heart, and when they detonated they completely cleared out those spaces. There is emptiness. There is a constant ringing. Both are delicious.
Been having some health problems. Starting to mess up my sleep. Last few nights I’ve gone to bed crazy early — 8 p.m. last night — and woken up 6-10 times by morning. I remember when the Knicks were randomly good in 2013, I was waking up 6-10 times a night to pee. Every time I woke, my brain was instantly in mid-conversation with itself about the team; it was like I was eavesdropping on myself. Can Jason Kidd really be counted on? What the hell is the point of Kenyon Martin? Did Chris Copeland hit on Mike Woodson’s wife?
Now I wake up thinking about Mikal Bridges’ best, quietest contributions. Karl-Anthony Towns defending all postseason with his feet instead of his hands, not biting on pump-fakes. Ariel Hukporti’s weakside rejection of Luke Kornet. Not having a dipshit owner. Uplifting thoughts only.
I don’t have my actual BP reading from the end of Game 5, but about a half-hour before it ended I remember wondering if my heart was healthy enough to watch the Knicks come back one last time. They pushed themselves to their physical limits to close the Spurs out. So did I.
What will you be approaching differently in life given what you’ve just experienced?
— BrunsOnGod
The Knick run dovetailed with me visiting the city in May, when they beat Cleveland to advance to the Finals.
I’ve been in a rut for months. Depressed, unmotivated, unsure not simply about what to do with my life, but whether there’s a point in doing anything at all. Materially, emotionally, existentially tapped. Bone dry. Waiting on a diagnosis that may answer some questions.
I stayed in the city a few days, which is when my health weirdness took off. But something else took off, too. My spirit. A quickening, if not to life than to the desire for one. There’s only one place I’ve ever loved living, and that’s NYC. There was only one place the Knicks needed to get to bring joy to millions of people, and they got there one step at a time.
They didn’t sign LeBron or draft Zion or trade for Giannis, pull a complete 180. They spent years putting one step in front of the other. Some moves were made before Leon Rose even got there, e.g. trading for Mitchell Robinson. Some moves you make aren’t the finishing touches, but keep you going until you get close enough to make those touches — hello, Julius Randle. Some moves require a leap of faith, i.e. the Bridges trade. Some reward leaps of faith, i.e. signing Brunson.
I struggle more than you can imagine with small, sequential steps. I want to buckle down and do it all in one heroic, Olympian act. It’s more instinctive for me to try to lift a mountain by myself than simply walk every day until building the endurance to climb it. Maybe that was somewhere I felt a kinship with the Knicks all these years. We were both chasing messiahs we didn’t need.
Ani DiFranco has a line about how when she looks up at the sky she trips, but when she looks down she misses the stars. My head is always in the clouds. The Knicks are inspiring my feet to stay grounded, stay focused and take one step at a time toward my goal. I want to move to NYC within a year. I want to be where I feel alive and loved with people I love. I want to feel alive. New York is that energy. If the Knicks could make their lifelong dream a reality, why not me?
1) Will Mitch get over/under/through whatever the heck is making him brick his FTs?
2) Are the Knicks no longer underdogs, or will they always have that spirit for you?
— SayAgainSayAgain
1) No. Too many people assigned male at birth worry too much what people they don’t know and will never meet may think of them.
2) The team the Knicks just beat 4-1 has better odds of winning the title next year. The team that team beat has better odds. The Celtics, who lost in the first round to a team the Knicks vaporized in the second, have better odds. I’m old enough to have seen a few seasons when the Knicks were the favorites to win it all. I imagine the next few years will be pretty similar to this one was, in that Knick fans know best how good their team is, and we will revel in the rest of the league finding out.
Should the Spurs replace Mitch Johnson? With Thibs?
— ClydeWingo
If I may, I’d like to defend Mitch Johnson here, and not only because he ranked just behind Brunson, KAT and OG for Finals MVP.
Sometimes a team — or maybe more aptly, a superstar — being ahead of the curve works against them. Por ejemplo, all the hoary yahoos who’ll trot out “Michael Jordan never lost in the Finals; LeBron lost six; ergo MJ da goat.” This penalizes James for lifting the 2007 Cavaliers and their 18th-ranked offense to heights no other human could have. Can you even name the other four starters in that Cav playoff run?
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlović and Drew Gooden. You’re welcome.
Michael Jordan’s Bulls reached the ECF in 1989 and 1990, coming up short both times. We don’t ding him for that. That’s reasonable. Blaming James for losing six Finals when his team was the underdog in at least five of them is lazy, absurd and utterly unreasonable.
The Spurs, despite how well they played, are not a title contender.
I know that sounds weird, maybe patently ridiculous. They *could* have swept the Knicks 5-0. They were the only team on Earth that could figure out the Thunder. I get all that. But if I can toot my own horn, I was locked-in predicting the NBA this season. Stay with me.
I invited scorn and clapbacks in early recaps, as I derided Detroit’s hot start (15-2; 28-9; 40-13) as much ado about nothing. I thought they were too young, too inexperienced and too poor on offense to beat any team that wasn’t one-dimensional, and they were. Despite all the accolades earned for rushing their best player back from injury before losing him to injury again in the playoffs, I never took the Celtics seriously, not when donuts have more going on at center. And though the Knicks eliminated the Cavs in May to win the East, the day Cleveland traded Darius Garland, their one and only player with a skill that could give the Knicks some trouble, was the day the East became New York’s.
Which brings us to the Spurs, who despite all their purported ethical charms are pretty clearly not ready for primetime, and before you assume I’m too dense to have comprehended the majesty of Wemby please kindly read up on the 1995 Magic and 2012 Thunder. Life is rarely linear. Teams that get thisclose to winning it all don’t automatically seal the deal the next year.
San Antonio is a fabulous team. How many teams could beat them in a seven-game series? Maybe three? The problem for them is two of those teams are Western contenders (OKC and Denver) while the third just gentleman swept them.
The Spurs, currently, are Wembanyama and a bunch of guards. You can get away with that when you’re playing Portland, Minnesota or Oklahoma City, teams with traditional 5s who don’t shoot 3s. Against those teams, Wembanyama is free to play free safety and blow up entire offenses. But your reigning NBA champs happen to feature a big who can bomb with aplomb. And I’ve a feeling any number of teams thinking they belong in the conversation will look to add a five-out element to their offenses, too.
So what, exactly, was Mitch Johnson supposed to do differently than he did? Before you get into trashing De’Aaron Fox, please remember I am the person who spent years defending Randle for all the crap he took after a postseason that started with him questionable with a badly sprained ankle, an ankle he re-injured at the end of the first round. How’d Randle look when he finally went into a postseason healthy? Brilliant, that’s how. Fox suffered a high ankle sprain in May and didn’t look like himself in early June. Weird, huh?
Maybe you found yourself patting yourself on the back for noticing Dylan Harper was a pretty good player, and shouldn’t he have gotten some of those minutes Fox did? Hey, that the same Harper who shot worse from deep in the Western playoffs than the regular season? Then bottomed out, making just 28% of his 3s in the Finals? I know, I know. I loved Harper’s game too. He’s sick. He’s scary. Obviously he’s far more than whatever his three-point numbers show.
But here’s the thing: NONE of the Spurs big-minutes players could hit from beyond the arc vs. New York. Fox made just 25% from distance, Wembanyama 27%, Harper 28% and Castle 30%. The only Spurs who combined volume with efficiency from deep were Devin Vassell and Justin Champagnie, with Champagnie a defensive weak link the Knicks repeatedly attacked. So, again: what was Mitch Johnson supposed to do? Mike Brown wouldn’t have won with last year’s Knicks; they weren’t deep enough. Neither were these Spurs.
I didn’t understand some of the times Wembanyama sat, especially in Game 5. But the next 7-foot-5 human being to average 40 minutes in a Finals will be the first. The Spurs have a lot invested in their alien. They don’t want him going the way of Ralph Sampson, so as close as they were to winning in his age 22-season, I suspect the organization’s policy on Wemby’s minutes came from a little higher up the corporate ladder than the head coach.
Johnson’s best player was clearly running on fumes this series, as evidenced by his crunch-time free throw misses and turning into Charles Bronson for a few moments of madness every game. His two-way players mostly couldn’t shoot straight. His bench, outside of Harper inside the arc, was invisible. I don’t know what buttons were left for him to press. Sometimes your players just aren’t quite ready for prime-time.
Now, to ClydeWingo’s specific question: no, I would not fire Johnson. I certainly wouldn’t replace him with Tom Thibodeau. That’d be like trading Wembanyama for Randle — who needs a floor-raiser when you’re already bumping your head into cathedral ceilings? For San Antonio to get to the promised land, they needed time and failure. They got plenty of the former and as much of the latter as they care to. A different coach isn’t gonna accelerate that any.
I think my biggest question, and I want all the opinions on this, is where does OG’s tip in rank on the single greatest plays in New York sports history? Above Bucky Dent? Above Buckner? Above David Tyree’s helmet catch?
Also, you never use a dash to separate out an appositive phrase. What shyster high school did you go to?
— Jesus and Ham on Rye
We talking the television age? Or all-time? I’m willing to claim OG’s put-back is — prisoner of the moment aside — the most celebrated. I don’t know how to quantify “greatest.” I can speak to some of the most celebrated plays in the other local teams’ histories.
For the Mets, Mookie’s grounder up the first-base line is still number one. God forbid I ever speak for Yankee fans; I imagine Jim Leyritz’s home run off Mark Wohlers is up there, as far as moments from my lifetime. Joe Girardi’s triple in Game 6? The Tino Martinez grand slam in the 1998 World Series? I wasn’t yet topside in 1978 when Dent homered at Fenway, but they’d just won the World Series the year before, so it wasn’t like that ended some long barren run for them.
The Giants have a ton, from Matt Bahr’s game-ending game-winning field goal to send them to Super Bowl XXV to Scott Norwood missing for Buffalo at the end of that game, all the way to David Tyree and Mario Manningham. The Jets? LOLOLOL.
I am a big Liberty fan, so when Breanna Stewart went to the line at the end of Game 5 of the Finals two years ago, a night when she couldn’t buy a basket, for the free throws that’d send the game to OT and the Liberty to their first-ever ‘chip, it was huuuuge. But the Liberty are not as loved as the Knicks (though James Dolan selling them has to help).
To some extent, the Rangers fall into this same label. Whether you’re picking Mark Messier’s hat trick to push the ECF to Game 7, Stephane Matteau’s double-overtime winner in that Game 7 to send them to the Cup finals or Mike Richter’s penalty save against Pavel Bure in those Finals, the moments are a-plenty, and to any Ranger fan who witnessed the ‘94 run there was nothing like it (imagine the Knicks wiping out the Hawks and 76ers, then being pushed to the BRINK by the Cavs and Spurs).
But the Rangers aren’t the Knicks. Not to NYC. So while I generally avoid people reflexively claiming “This thing that literally just happened is historically resonant!”, in this case I think they’re right. Every other great sporting feat in NYC history appeals to half the fans here. The Knicks, as the city’s only NBA team, matter to everybody. Thus, OG’s shot is the winner.
And as I’ve tried to demonstrate any number of times in this mailbag — including this sentence right here — you can absolutely set off appositives with dashes. I attended Webster High School in Webster, New York. The town motto is “Where life is worth living,” your first hint that there, it very much isn’t.
Where does this championship rank in terms of historical significance for the NBA?
What were your favorite moments from this 4 year run in the Jalen Brunson Era? Other than the OG hand of God.
— Allzingers
God these are fun mailbag questions! The Knicks should win the title more often.
I’m not sure anyone outside the league offices on Fifth Avenue ever thinks this way, or if anyone even can. It’s like knowing your whole block is knocking boots on Saturday night, and wondering “Who had the best sex tonight?” I think there’s probably no right answer; it really depends on from where you’re coming. Or if.
For instance: four years ago, the Golden State Warriors won their fourth title of the Steph/Klay/Draymond era. That made them only the fourth group to do so, joining the Russell/Cousy Celtics, the Magic/Kareem Lakers and the Jordan/Pippen Bulls. That seems historically significant. But if you’re not a Warriors fan, did you care? Remember: Adam Silver wants you to believe you hate dynasties, instead preferring an antagonistic collective bargaining agreement, forced roster ruptures and cost-control all masquerading as “parity.”
A lot of people have talked about Knick fans around the country coming together over the 2026 title. In 2019, a country actually did rally around its one and only team when the Raptors took the trophy home — and given that no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since 1993, the same year the Blue Jays last won the World Series, I think it’s fair to say Toronto’s title was historically meaningful. But it loses some luster because the main cause behind it left as fast as he could for the Clippers.
The 2016 Cavs ended an even-longer title drought for their city, and not just an NBA drought but across the Association, the NFL and MLB, too. Consider the nature of their conquest: coming back from 3-1 down in the Finals, against the greatest single-season team we’d ever seen and the defending champs. Then consider the level both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving reached the last three games of the series. Remember: MJ held off on “The Last Dance” for years, right up until James won the one championship that made people think “Maybe he does go above Mike.” 2016 Cavs were pretty historically meaningful.
I imagine, ironically, that the true impact of the Knicks’ title charge will only grow clear the further we get from it. If they repeat as champs next season, win three of four ‘chips, then 2026 will have a particular importance. If 30 years from now you’re on your deathbed and this was the only time you ever saw the Knicks win it all, then 2026 will retain a particular importance for you.
Fave moments of Brunson era: the 32, 38 and 41 points Brunson put up the last three games vs. Miami in 2023 (that’s when I knew he was *him*); Randle bouncing back from the 2022 thumbs-down to be both an All-Star and All-NBA in ‘23; OG dunking all over Embiid’s head in the 2024 series; DiVincenzo’s game-winning 3; the Knicks hiring Patrick Ewing in an official capacity; upsetting Boston last season (the first time I think I’ve ever seen the Knicks upset someone); me being wrong about Brunson; me being wrong about KAT; me being wrong about Mike Brown; me being right about Bridges; everybody being right about OG; Josh Hart for existing; Jose Alvarado for being Puerto Rican; the entire 2026 playoffs, natch.
Who is the worst player on this team whose jersey/name will be a deep pull in 20 years? 40-50?
— Spike Lee’s Joint
Jeremy Sochan. Dude just has a way of being visible.
