Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to first NBA title since 1973
The NBA's finals page lists Jalen Brunson with a 32.6-point series average, and his title-clinching Game 5 turned that control into a championship. New York beat San Antonio 94-90 at Frost Bank Center, with independent game accounts crediting Brunson with 45 points as the Knicks finished the series 4-1. The result ended a title gap dating to 1973 and gave the franchise its third NBA championship. San Antonio's young core still made the series a statement: game accounts listed Dylan Harper with 25 points and Victor Wembanyama with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in the finale. The broader lesson is less about a single upset than about late-game authority. New York repeatedly survived deep deficits, including a 29-point Game 4 comeback that the NBA's finals page describes as the largest in Finals history, before Brunson closed the series.
For basketball followers in Belgium, this is a major global sport result rather than a Belgian sports story. The NBA's official finals page framed the series around Brunson's scoring and Wembanyama's rise, giving Belgian viewers a sharp contrast between a mature New York contender and a European superstar leading San Antonio's new era. The story also matters culturally: New York's 1973-to-2026 drought shows how legacy teams can remain globally relevant through failure, identity and fan loyalty.
Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks guard, born 1996, formerly of Villanova and the Dallas Mavericks) was the decisive player in Game 5. The New York Knicks (NBA franchise based at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan) had not won the league title since 1973. The San Antonio Spurs (Texas-based NBA franchise with five previous championships) were trying to add a sixth title with a much younger core. Victor Wembanyama (French Spurs centre, born 2004) is the team's franchise player and one of the NBA's global stars. Dylan Harper (Spurs guard, born 2006) was a rookie contributor in the Finals. Frost Bank Center (San Antonio arena opened in 2002) hosted Game 5. The NBA Finals (best-of-seven championship series of the National Basketball Association) decide the US league's annual champion. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are Knicks rotation players who supplied key defensive and supporting minutes.
Background
NBA historical framing around this series centred on two dates. The Knicks' previous championship came in 1973, when the franchise's Willis Reed-era group gave New York its second title. The Knicks and Spurs also met in the 1999 NBA Finals, when San Antonio won the series in five games and began its championship era around Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich. In 2026, the pattern flipped: New York closed the series in San Antonio, while the Spurs' young Wembanyama-led roster became the team left to explain missed late-game chances.
Why now
The story is timely because Game 5 ended the NBA Finals on June 13, 2026, closing the series before the scheduled Game 6 or Game 7 could be needed.
What to watch
Watch whether the Knicks keep the Brunson-Bridges-Hart-Anunoby core intact and whether San Antonio adds veteran late-game support around Wembanyama and Harper. The NBA draft and free agency will be the next concrete checkpoints.
Sources & evidence
- Al Jazeera: Knicks clinch first NBA title in 53 years with win over Spurs in Game 5 · 2026-06-14
- Associated Press: The Knicks are NBA champions, after Brunson's 45 leads way to 94-90 win over Spurs · 2026-06-13
- NBA: 2026 NBA Finals official series page
- The Guardian: NBA finals live reaction, Knicks beat Spurs in Game 5 · 2026-06-14
- San Antonio Express-News: NBA Finals updates, Knicks win NBA championship, ending Spurs' season · 2026-06-13