The New York Knicks won their fourth NBA Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs to win the championship. The club's first championship since 1973 sparked a spontaneous celebration in downtown New York that resulted in riots, arson and shootings, the Associated Press (AP) and New York Post (NYP) reported.
The decisive meeting took place on Saturday, June 13, at the Spurs' home arena in San Antonio (Texas) and ended with a score of 94-90 in favor of the Knicks. In New York, fans watched the game on a big screen outside Madison Square Garden, where their team earned a strong third win earlier this week after overturning a 29-point deficit.
The match in San Antonio also initially did not go in favor of the Knicks, but with the efforts of Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, the New Yorkers neutralized the 16-point advantage of Victor Vembanyama’s team. The victory was revenge for the Knicks for losing to the Spurs in the 1999 Finals. The NBA Finals are played in best-of-five series, and the Knicks won 4-1 in five games.
The NEW YORK KNICKS receive the Larry O'Brien Trophy as 2026 NBA Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XAe4RuiD6r
— NBA (@NBA) June 14, 2026
The AP called the situation in New York after the final whistle “bedlam on Broadway.” Around 2 a.m., shots were fired at the intersection of that street and 42nd, but no one was injured, police said. Fans smashed windows and climbed on cars and school buses in the Times Square area. One of them eventually caught fire, NYP notes. The footage was captured on video on social networks.
🚨 Knicks fans set an entire school bus on fire pic.twitter.com/kghw743nFw
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) June 14, 2026
WATCH: School Bus driver attempts to defend his bus from unruly crowd
“It's coming out of my paycheck!” Driver Screams As Crows DESTROY School Bus Smashing it in TSQ after Knicks WIN pic.twitter.com/bhCftrclFI
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) June 14, 2026
According to The Athletic, citing the police, 63 people were detained as a result of the unrest. At least 10 officers were injured in clashes with fans. One 17-year-old boy was hospitalized with gunshot wounds after another shooting incident (three people were detained as a result), and four required treatment for stab wounds.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the Knicks' victory historic but urged fans to “stay sane.”
“During our celebrations, be responsible, considerate of each other, stay safe and stay sane,” Mamdani said on X (formerly Twitter), announcing the team's official championship parade for Thursday, June 18.
The new NBA champions were also congratulated by US President Donald Trump, who is a native of New York and a longtime Knicks fan. The team achieved a decisive victory on the eve of his 80th birthday. In his congratulations, Trump specifically mentioned team owner James Dolan, with whom he is on friendly terms, and a number of players.
“Today a superstar was born. His name is Jalen Brunson and there are others including Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and great patriot Mitchell Robinson! Let's Make America Great Again! Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Social networks managed to joke that the Knicks managed to overcome the “Trump curse” – the team suffered its only defeat in the final series at Madison Square Garden, when the president attended the third game. Among the Knicks fans at the decisive game in San Antonio, cameras captured actors Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet and Sydney Sweeney, who traveled to Texas for the spectacle.
KAT AND TIMMY!
THE KNICKS WIN THEIR THIRD NBA CHAMPIONSHIP IN FRANCHISE HISTORY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/TqvnGtgk6m
— NBA (@NBA) June 14, 2026
