The New York Knicks celebrated their championship Tuesday night with a banner night, raising two banners at Madison Square Garden before losing 106-100 to the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener.
The Knicks wore white uniforms with gold trim for the occasion, and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson added gold sneakers. Hall of Famer Walt Frazier presented the players with their championship rings. The team then watched a blue banner reading “2025-26 World Champions” rise to the rafters.
“Really special. Happy we got it out of the way and we can move on for now, but it was a really cool thing,” Brunson said after the game.
A Return to Finals Memories
Outside of their preseason exhibition games, it was the first time the Knicks played at home since Game 4 of the NBA Finals. In that game, OG Anunoby‘s tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining capped a record-setting comeback from a 29-point deficit. A montage on the overhead videoboard showed the play, and it set off some of the loudest roars of the night.
Brunson began his remarks to fans by referencing that game and thanking them for not leaving the arena early.
The Knicks finished off the San Antonio Spurs in the next game. That win set off “Knicks in 5! Knicks in 5!” chants around New York, and the chants resumed Tuesday night.
Brunson told fans the Knicks wanted to turn the page after the team’s first championship since 1973.
“But one thing I would like to say,” he added. “The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again.”
Brunson has talked about moving on from last season since the Knicks arrived at training camp. On Tuesday night, he acknowledged how difficult that is until after one last celebration.
“You have everyone praising guys, praising us about what we’ve done a couple months ago,” he said. “And it’s just human nature and it’s difficult, but just to hold each other accountable we’ve been trying to do that, just to make sure that we’re on the same page and trying to get better.
“Obviously we’re very thankful for what we did, but there’s still a lot left for us to prove.”
Two Banners Go Up
Before raising the title banner, the Knicks hung one at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the NBA Cup title they won last season.
The Knicks broke with tradition last December when they became the first team to win the in-season tournament and not commemorate it with a banner. They said at the time they were looking ahead to bigger things.
They ended up getting the biggest thing possible in a rematch with the Spurs, whom they also defeated in the NBA Cup final.
The NBA Cup banner went up sometime after the Sixers held their morning shootaround at the arena. Sixers coach Mike Brown said before the game that it recognized the Knicks’ journey last season.
“There were a lot of, obviously, ups and downs throughout the course of the year, and our guys rallied and figured out a way to win the NBA Cup,” Brown said, “and then you go ahead and win the regular season final, or excuse me, the end of season final, and it’s just a recognition to not just to our guys, but to the fans out there.”
The two banners were the first the Knicks hung at Madison Square Garden since they won the Atlantic Division title in 2012-13.
Back to Work
Things move quickly in New York. After struggling in their opener, the Knicks know they have work ahead to stay at the top.
“Like, we shouldn’t sit there and think that we’re champions, because we’re not,” forward Josh Hart said. “Right now we’re 0-1. We’re the worst team in the NBA, as of right now.”