Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to first championship in 53 years

Jalen Brunson closed out the 2026 NBA Finals on June 14 by scoring 45 points in a 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. This performance secured the Knicks their first NBA championship in 53 years. Brunson's record-setting game marked him as the first player since Michael Jordan in 1998 to score 45 or more points in a Finals-clinching game on the road. He also earned the Finals Most Valuable Player award with a unanimous vote. His scoring average of 32.6 in the Finals is the highest by a point guard in history, and he set franchise records for most 30-point games and most points in a Finals game.

• 5:21 PMCBS NBA — Knicks' Jalen Brunson joins Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among few to achieve remarkable career feat