The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time since 1973.
The San Antonio Spurs led by double digits in all 5 games of the 2026 NBA Finals, including a 29-point lead in Game 4, but the Knicks only let Game 3 get away. The Knicks have only lost once since April 25. While they are the epitome of a championship team, emphasis on team, the Knicks wouldn’t be at the mountaintop without Jalen Brunson.
Brunson authored an all-time performance to lead the Knicks to a 94-90 Game 5 win to capture the title at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Saturday night. The plucky, once overlooked point guard scored 45 points on 14-for-27 shooting from the field, including 15 fourth-quarter points.
According to the Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, Brunson is the first player in Knicks history to score 40-plus points in an NBA Finals game. Before now, Willis Reed came the closest with 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of 1970 NBA Finals.
To make it even more legendary, Jalen Brunson joined Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Jordan, and Bob Pettit as the only NBA players in the league’s history to record 45-plus points in a closeout Finals game, per Underdog NBA.
And to make it tangible, Brunson was awarded the Bill Russell Trophy, given to the NBA Finals MVP, to pair with his Larry Bird Trophy, which he won as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
If Knicks fans are having trouble articulating the tsunami of emotions coursing through after witnessing what previously seemed impossible, you’re not alone. Brunson couldn’t put it into words, either.
“I got no words,” Brunson told Lisa Salters, followed by a long, emotional pause. He added, “It’s everything I ever dreamed of. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m in awe. Whenever someone counts us out, we find a way to come back and do something about it.”
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