Knicks Capture NBA Title for First Time Since 1973

For the first time in 53 years, the New York Knicks are NBA champions — and the city that never sleeps didn’t even try to.

Story Highlights

The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win their first title since 1973.
Jalen Brunson scored 45 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, after the Knicks trailed by 16 points.
Fans flooded the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, with Madison Square Garden lit up in celebration.
Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier compared the 2026 team to the championship squads of 1970 and 1973.

A 53-Year Wait Finally Ends

The New York Knicks won the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship by beating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Knicks trailed by 16 points before rallying to close it out. The last time New York won a title was 1973. The franchise has only two championships in its entire history — 1970 and 1973 — making this moment a long time coming for millions of fans. ^[4]

Jalen Brunson was the engine of the comeback. He finished with 45 points, with 15 of those coming in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. At the trophy presentation, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the Knicks at center court. Brunson shared the moment with his father, Rick Brunson, a former NBA player himself. Karl-Anthony Towns summed it up simply: “This was written for New York and we went and got it done today.” ^[2]

New York Erupts in the Streets

Fans didn’t wait for an invitation. They poured onto 7th Avenue outside Madison Square Garden and into neighborhoods across Brooklyn and Manhattan. Video from the night showed packed streets, honking cars, and crowds chanting late into the evening. The scenes were captured by outlets including ABC7, the Associated Press, and local news teams who broadcast live from multiple locations across the city. ^[7]

Celebrity Knicks fans also joined the celebration. Filmmaker Spike Lee and actor John Turturro were among those spotted reacting to the win. The moment drew attention well beyond sports media. Social media lit up with videos from fans across all five boroughs, and the clips spread fast — the kind of shared joy that cuts across age, income, and political lines in a city that doesn’t always agree on much. ^[5]

A Legend Weighs In

Walt “Clyde” Frazier, the star guard of those 1970 and 1973 championship teams, praised the current Knicks for winning the same way his squads did — as a team. Frazier has been a fixture at Madison Square Garden for decades, first as a player and later as a broadcaster. His endorsement carried real weight for longtime fans who remember what it felt like to win and spent decades wondering if they’d ever feel it again. ^[8]

The road to the title included a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals — the Knicks’ first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. That sweep sent fans into the streets even before the championship was won. The full run showed a team built on toughness and depth, not just star power. For a fan base that endured decades of near-misses and rebuilding years, the payoff felt as much like relief as it did celebration. ^[2]