Leon Rose Built the Knicks, Step by Step, Into NBA Champions

After 53 years of frustration, the New York Knicks finally won an NBA championship, beating San Antonio 4-1 in a series that ended overnight between Saturday and Sunday. The article argues that the title did not come from chasing star names, but from a patient, carefully assembled roster built around gritty, undervalued players and smart trades.

At the center of the turnaround is team president Leon Rose, the Jewish executive who took the job in March 2020 and began reshaping the club’s culture. The decisive phase of the rebuild accelerated in summer 2022, when Rose opened the path to signing Jalen Brunson, which the piece calls the best move the franchise ever made. Brunson, a second-round pick who refuses to call himself a star, became the face of the team’s rise.

The Knicks’ core also includes Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. Hart arrived from Portland in February 2023 in a trade that sent Cam Reddish and a first-round pick, later used on Kris Murray, and he immediately delivered nine straight wins. Mitchell Robinson, selected 36th in the 2018 draft, became the first Knicks draftee since Charlie Ward in 1999 to earn a multi-year extension.

The roster was filled out with low-cost moves and draft bets, including Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, Lonzo Alvarado, Deuce McBride, Jordan Clarkson, Ariel Hukporti, Jericho Sims, Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet and Mohamed Diawara. The article notes that New York did not tank or rely on lottery luck, unlike San Antonio, which drafted Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper in three different top selections. Rose’s key 2022 trade sending Ousmane Dieng to Oklahoma City for three first-round picks also cleared salary-cap space for Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein.