Brunson Leads Knicks to First NBA Title Since 1973, Wins Finals MVP
Jalen Brunson scored 45 points to carry the New York Knicks to a 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 13, 2026, delivering the franchise its first NBA championship in 53 years. Brunson was named Finals MVP. President Donald Trump, writing on Truth Social in the early hours of Sunday morning, declared the Knicks guard a superstar.
"Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks," Trump wrote. "Tonight, a superstar was born. His name is Jalen Brunson, and there are others, including Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and great Patriot, Mitchell Robinson." Trump had attended Game 3 at Madison Square Garden - the only game New York dropped in the series. The Knicks closed out San Antonio four games to one.
New York's previous championship came in 1973. The clinching win required a comeback: the Knicks trailed by as many as 16 points in Game 5, and had rallied from 29 points down in Game 4 to stay alive. Thousands of fans gathered in the streets of New York City following the final buzzer. Head coach Mike Brown used the occasion to argue for Brunson's broader recognition. "I hope you guys will listen to me: He's a top-three MVP candidate," Brown said. "He is a fricking 1-A. He is a MVP candidate and I hope tonight you guys recognize what this man is about. He is him." Brunson, speaking on the court immediately after the win, kept his remarks brief. "I have no words," he said. "It's everything I ever dreamed of."
The championship ends one of the longest title droughts among major-market NBA franchises. The Knicks will enter the 2026-27 season as defending champions for the first time in over half a century, with Brunson, Towns, and Anunoby under contract as the core of a roster now carrying genuine title-defense expectations.
