The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years after rallying to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Final on Saturday, June 13, 2026, sealing a 4-1 series victory at the Frost Bank Center.
In a season that will be remembered for resilience and dramatic comebacks, the Knicks once again found a way to overturn the odds.
After falling behind by as many as 16 points and managing just four field goals in the opening quarter, New York produced another stunning fightback to complete their championship run.
Leading the charge was Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP)Jalen Brunson, who delivered a spectacular 45-point performance. With Karl-Anthony Towns fouling out and the Spurs threatening to extend the series, Brunson took control, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter alone. His go-ahead floater with just over a minute remaining gave the Knicks the lead for good and silenced the San Antonio crowd.
The championship marks the end of one of the longest title droughts in NBA history.
The franchise’s previous and only other championship came in 1973, and decades of disappointment have finally given way to celebration for one of basketball’s most passionate fan bases.
Head coach Mike Brown was full of praise for his star guard after the final buzzer, dismissing suggestions that Brunson belongs a tier below the league’s elite. “He is him,” Brown said, as the Knicks celebrated a long-awaited return to the top.
For the Spurs, the defeat will sting after a promising Finals campaign. Young superstar Victor Wembanyama battled hard with 14 rebounds and five blocks, but San Antonio could not withstand New York’s late surge.
After 53 years of waiting, the Larry O’Brien Trophy is heading back to New York.
–
Story by Samuel Annang|univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
