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It was at 6:57 p.m. that Jalen Brunson’s voice delivered the line Knicks fans have long been waiting for.
“Thank you, guys,” Brunson said, “let’s raise this banner.”
And the 2025-26 championship banner slowly made its way to the Madison Square Garden rafters. The team that earned it posed in front of it, then simply stared at it in awe.
The title run of a lifetime and a team that stirred New York in a way few ever have were formally cemented in immortality.
This was a moment just over four months in the making, since they clinched the championship June 13.
It was a moment 13 years in the making, the last time there was a new banner in the MSG rafters — for the 2012-13 Atlantic Division title. A moment 53 years in the making, since the team’s last championship.
The banner remained next to the jumbotron, above the court, for the night. It will soon take its place among the other banners — where the NBA Cup banner had already been raised ahead of the ceremony.
The Knicks wore white quarter zips with gold lettering — fitting for current NBA royalty.
Their jerseys underneath had gold lettering and numbers as well. And on the back of the jersey, a championship patch that was impossible to miss.
The executives — Leon Rose and William Wesley — and the coaches — Mike Brown, Chris Jent, Brendan O’Connor and Rick Brunson — received their rings first. The rest of the executives and assistant coaches were not part of the ceremony.
The players, one by one, collected theirs next. Ariel Hukporti — who joined the 76ers in the offseason but tore his Achilles in the preseason opener — was even there to claim his, scooting across the court with his foot in a cast.
The starters went last — Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and then finally Brunson.
And just like that, the championship is officially behind them. The challenge of repeating began in earnest.
“We’re excited to get this season going,” Brunson said. “We’re ready to turn the page as a team. But one thing I wanted to say — the joy that the city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again.”
Then, a game actually had to be played.
Not just any game — one against a 76ers side most have labeled the biggest threat to the Knicks’ chances of repeating.
“It’s tough, because this could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Brown said before the game of balancing the emotions of the night. “You never know. It’s hard. It’s hard to accomplish something like this. You definitely want guys to embrace it and celebrate it with each other because they went through a lot, with the fans, with the rest of the organization, and just with their families. So you don’t want to take that moment away from them.
“But in the same breath, we obviously have a job to do tonight. But I keep telling myself, that no matter what happens tonight — if we win by five, if we win by 20, if we lose by five, if we lose by 20 — there’s a lot of basketball left. Just because of whatever happens tonight is not going to define us. I would rather them enjoy the moment than me cutting it short or carving into their emotions based on their families and all that stuff being here.”
The opening tip at 7:18 p.m. marked the official end of all the championship celebrations. A dreamlike few months were put in the past.
And a new journey began.