New York Knicks Named Best Team at ESPYS After Winning 2026 NBA Finals
New York Knicks Named Best Team at ESPYS After Winning 2026 NBA Finals
Jaclyn HendricksThu, July 16, 2026 at 3:36 AM UTC
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Karl-Anthony Towns speaks onstage as the New York Knicks accept the Best Team award onstage during the 2026 ESPY Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on July 15, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Mike Coppola/Getty -
The New York Knicks took home the award for Best Team at the 2026 ESPYS on July 15
Knicks captain Jalen Brunson was joined on stage by teammates OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Miles “Deuce” McBride and Karl-Anthony Towns
Brunson dropped 45 points in the Knicks’ 94-90 victory against the Spurs on June 13, and was named NBA Finals MVP
The New York Knicks are adding even more hardware to their growing collection.
The reigning NBA champions took home the prize for Best Team at the 2026 ESPYS on Wednesday, July 15, roughly one month after clinching their first title in 53 years.
Knicks captain Jalen Brunson was joined on stage by teammates OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Miles “Deuce” McBride and Karl-Anthony Towns, where the newly minted champs reflected on their epic playoff run earlier this summer, which concluded with a Game 5 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Knicks superfan Fat Joe joined the team on the stage after they accepted the final award for the night. The rapper attended a number of Knicks playoff games during their run, including their championship win in Game 5.
Towns was first to speak upon accepting the award inside the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. “Thank you so much,” he said, before adding, “You may see someone is missing up here.”
Jalen Brunson lifts the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award trophy after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, TexasCredit: Ronald Cortes/Getty
Brunson, 29, chimed in to rib their absent teammate, “I want to say thank you to the ESPYS for pulling Josh Hart’s invite.”
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Towns more seriously then went on to thank his teammates, saying, “I hope this trophy, especially here in New York, getting this trophy shows the world love. The love of each other and this team is what got us through the humps in December when we weren’t playing our best basketball.”
He credited “the love of the fans” for getting the team back on track.
“This award shows the love of the New York... the love of New York made this whole journey and this whole accomplishment of winning a championship worth it, so thank you, New York, thank you to the fans, thank you to the organization for giving us this chance and believing in us,” Towns continued.
He closed out his speech by declaring, “Knicks in five.”
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Wednesday has been a big day for not only the Knicks, but especially Brunson, who also won the award for Best NBA Player. His nominations included Best Athlete, Men’s Sports and Best Championship Performance.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
