SAN ANTONIO — The New York Knicks can finally call themselves NBA champions after 53 years of waiting. Led by Jalen Brunson’s epic performance, the Knicks ended the half-century drought with a 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night.
The win secured New York’s third NBA title, and first since 1973.
“Sorry it took so long!” Knicks owner James Dolan said as he accepted the Larry O’Brien trophy from NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
The young Spurs team, led by Victor Wembanyama, defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the Western Conference. New York had reached its first Finals since 1999. The Knicks won the first two games in San Antonio and clinched a championship while holding off the Spurs in a thrilling, highly rated NBA Finals series.
Knicks fans arrived in Texas in droves on Saturday, wearing the team’s iconic blue and orange colors in jerseys, hats, and other merch. They filled out sections from the arena’s upper-deck to the courtside seats, and they all hoped to witness the Knicks claim their first NBA title in five decades.
As Knicks players ran onto the court at the final buzzer, Knicks legend Patrick Ewing hugged filmmaker and director Spike Lee as head coach Mike Brown walked around high-fiving his staff.
“It was surreal. I couldn’t believe it was happening,” Brown said after the game.
Between 2001 and 2025, a combination of 15 head or interim coaches had just seven winning seasons and eight playoff appearances for the Knicks. The latest decision to fire Tom Thibodeau and hire Brown will now look like the right decision for the Knicks ownership.
Rather than attempt to acquire big names like Joel Embiid or Donovan Mitchell, the Knicks decided to build around Brunson. They surrounded him with players like Mikal Bridges and traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Minnesota big man Karl Anthony-Towns.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” said Brunson, who was named Finals MVP. “I’m in awe. Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.”
