Josh Hart said the New York Knicks’ first NBA championship since 1973 was driven in part by a sense that the San Antonio Spurs underestimated them. In comments published June 20, 2026, the newly crowned champion reflected on the team’s emotions after ending a 53-year title drought and reaching the top of the NBA for the first time since winning it all in 1973.
Hart said the Spurs, whom the Knicks beat on the way to the ring, did not treat New York with enough respect. “We felt a bit of disrespect from the Spurs,” he said. “When they won Game 7 against Oklahoma, they celebrated as if they had already won the championship. People kept saying that was the real final and that the winner would definitely come from the West, and their players acted that way too, like it was over. That made us very angry.”
He added that the attitude only increased the Knicks’ motivation. “The Spurs did not give us the respect we deserved. Even after we beat them in games, we did not get the credit we were due, they just walked off the court. That gave us more drive and more desire to finish the job,” Hart said.
Hart also singled out Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, calling him “a wonderful player, simply amazing,” but saying he too had disrespected New York. “The moment he cried after Game 7 against Oklahoma, I knew it was ours and that we would bring the championship back,” Hart said. He added that the team has been celebrating for a week and that the title is deserved because they “worked the hardest in the world” for it.
