The Knicks Win a Stunning NBA Title Built on Unlikely Stars and Risky Moves

The New York Knicks won a remarkable NBA championship built on a roster and leadership structure few expected to succeed. Jalen Brunson, who once played a supporting role in Dallas and later signed what critics called an oversized contract, led the way, and after scoring 45 points in Game 5, he was crowned Finals MVP. He became only the second player drafted in the second round in NBA history to win the award, after Nikola Jokic, and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also fitting that mold, this marked the third time in four seasons that a player outside the top 10 picks won Finals MVP.

Brunson’s title run followed a 2024 offseason decision to leave $113 million guaranteed on the table so the team could preserve payroll flexibility. A few weeks later he was named captain, and that flexibility helped New York add Karl-Anthony Towns. Former player Paul Pierce said on Undisputed, “You left $113 million on the table?! ... I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone do their team that kind of favor.” The article says that answer was an NBA championship.

The Knicks also had to overcome an unconventional coaching path. After firing the popular Tom Thibodeau, who had built the team’s defense and identity from 2020 to 2025, they failed in attempts to hire several active head coaches, including Quin Snyder, Billy Donovan, Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka, and Chris Finch. They eventually chose Mike Brown, whose career had included difficult exits in Cleveland, Los Angeles and Sacramento before he became an assistant with Golden State. In New York, Brown fixed Thibodeau-era problems by shortening the minutes for the starting five by 43 percent, empowering the bench, and improving the offense and pace.

The title was also a vindication of team president Leon Rose and owner James Dolan. Rose, a longtime agent with no front-office experience, was hired in March 2020 after the Knicks failed to lure Masai Ujiri. Dolan, who took control in 2000 and had overseen years of lawsuits, ugly disputes, poor decisions and fan protests to “Sell the team,” did not sell the franchise, whose value has risen from about $340 million to nearly $10 billion. But he stepped back and let professionals operate, and that helped turn a heavily criticized rebuild into a championship. The Knicks also survived costly roster moves, including trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, and got major playoff contributions from Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet, Yuki Alvarado, Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart. In the end, the team beat a favored opponent in San Antonio, where the game felt almost like a home crowd for New York, and the players celebrated by chanting, “Who let the dogs out?”