Res 0525-2026

Res. No. 525 ..Title Resolution celebrating the "Knicks in five" as the New York Knicks win the 2026 NBA Championship ..Body By The Speaker (Council Member Menin) and Council Members Maloney, Far�as, Marte, Riley, Louis, Hudson, Thomas-Henry, Won, Banks and Wilson Whereas, On June 13, 2026, in San Antonio, the New York Knickerbockers ("the Knicks") came from behind to finish off the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 to win the National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship by a final score of 94-90, making a dream come true for millions of New York City (NYC) fans, many of whom had spent a lifetime awaiting a Knicks' championship title; and Whereas, In the days leading up to the June 13th victory, New Yorkers and Knicks fans across the country were chanting and posting "Knicks in five"; and Whereas, This win marked the Knicks' first championship since 1973 and their third NBA championship in team history; and Whereas, The Knicks won all three games in San Antonio and set an NBA Finals record in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden when they picked themselves up from a 29-point deficit, culminating in a shot by team captain Jalen Brunson, tipped in by Ogugua "OG" Anunoby, a one-for-the-books play to win the game 107-106, with 1.2 seconds left on the clock; and Whereas, Brunson was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), an honor that was clinched by his breathtaking performance in Game 5 when he scored 45 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter to help overcome a 10-point Spurs advantage, and which was awarded after Game 5 as his father, Rick, a former NBA player and a current Knicks assistant coach, looked on proudly; and Whereas, Both Brunson and Anunoby earned lasting places in Knicks history for their relentless drive and often remarkable scoring in Games 4 and 5; and Whereas, The series victory was a true team effort, with several outstanding performances across the Knicks' roster, including by Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, Mikal Bridges, and hometown hero Jose Alvarado, the only born-and-bred New Yorker currently on the Knicks' roster; and Whereas, The Knicks were victorious despite the Spurs' own impressive team of talented players, including NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama and guard Stephon Castle, who hounded the Knicks at every turn quarter after quarter; and Whereas, In his first year with the team, Knicks' coach Mike Brown, having won four championship titles as an assistant coach with other teams, now joins only Red Holzman as a Knicks' championship coach; and Whereas, After Game 5, Brown noted that "[t]here are a couple of franchises that are pretty iconic just because of the history that they have, the location that they're in, sometimes even the building that they're in" and that "New York is definitely one of the few that you could say" all three things about; and Whereas, NYC fans could be seen everywhere in the five boroughs during the NBA Finals sporting the Knicks' iconic blue and orange jerseys and team colors, which pay homage to the flag of the Dutch founders of New Amsterdam in the early 1600s and later to the NYC flag; and Whereas, During the games, NYC fans came together to cheer for the Knicks by the thousands on giant screens at official watch parties from outside Madison Square Garden to Bryant Park to Central Park, but also at smaller community gatherings across the five boroughs in bodegas, local bars, pizzerias, laundromats, barbershops, and even one funeral parlor; and Whereas, NYC fans had one final chance to celebrate their newest heroes at a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes to City Hall on June 18th, which was the first ticket-tape parade in Knicks' history; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York celebrates the "Knicks in five" as the New York Knicks win the 2026 NBA Championship. LS #24729 6/17/26 RHP 1