The New York Knicks ' championship night reached the White House timeline with Donald Trump giving the franchise, its owner and its playoff run a sweeping congratulations.
New York beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, closing the series 4-1 and winning its first NBA title since 1973.
The message came after a postseason defined by close finishes, comeback wins, and a title-clinching performance that pulled national attention toward New York.
Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
In a post shared by The White House on X , Trump congratulated Knicks owner Jim Dolan and described New York's playoff run in huge terms.
"Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!! What a year it has been, but even more so, what incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four – Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball," Trump said.
The line fit the emotion around the Knicks' title, even if it was a classic Trump exaggeration. New York did not cruise through the Finals; it kept surviving high-pressure games and finished the Spurs with another tense road win.
The championship ended a 53-year wait for Knicks fans and gave Dolan the breakthrough that he had avoided throughout his ownership era.
Trump's second line focused on the players who shaped the championship, led by the Finals MVP who carried Game 5 with 45 points.
"Also, tonight, a superstar was born. His name is Jalen Brunson, and there are others, including, Karl-Anthony Towns , OG Anunoby , and great Patriot Mitchell Robinson ! Make America great again!" Trump added.
Brunson's name belonged at the center of that praise. He scored 45 points in 41 minutes, shooting 14-of-27 from the field and 13-of-15 at the free-throw line as New York won 94-90 in San Antonio .
The other names also reflected the roster depth behind the title. Towns gave the Knicks size and spacing across the run, Anunoby delivered the 33-point Game 4 explosion that changed the series, and Robinson supplied interior rebounding and physicality.
Trump had already been part of the Finals conversation after attending Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. His post after the clincher made the Knicks' title feel even more like a national event, with Brunson's star turn now impossible to ignore.
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