Actor Timothée Chalamet was courtside in San Antonio on June 13 as the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973, beating the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals. Chalamet called it “better than the Oscars,” watched another early Spu
When the Knicks finally crossed the finish line, Timothée Chalamet didn’t just watch from the stands—he filmed it from inside the Frost Bank Center as New York ended a five-decade wait.
On Saturday, June 13, the actor, a familiar presence at Knicks games this postseason, sat courtside in San Antonio and saw the team win its first NBA championship since 1973. The Knicks closed out the 2026 NBA Finals with a 4-1 series victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Chalamet, who is 30 years old, was only 4 when the Knicks last reached the Finals. Despite the long gap, his excitement was unmistakable. “Way rather this than the Oscars,” Chalamet said. “Knicks are champions, baby.”
He was also seen recording video on his phone from within the arena as the celebration began. It wasn’t the kind of moment that fades fast, even for someone accustomed to major premieres.
Chalamet has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Picture, but he has not won an award. After the game, he was spotted in the locker room talking with NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, who scored 45 points in Game 5.
During the series, Chalamet continued to root for the Knicks from courtside—both in San Antonio and at Madison Square Garden in New York. And the script of these playoffs, at least so far, kept repeating: the Spurs repeatedly jumped out to double-digit leads, only for the Knicks to claw back.
The pattern held again. Like the first four games of the series, Chalamet watched the Spurs build a lead before the Knicks answered. In four of the five games in the Finals, New York came back, turning each near-miss into another reason to believe.
Game 5 followed the same painful rhythm for anyone hoping for an early close. After the first quarter, the Knicks again faced another double-digit deficit. Then. late in the game. they mounted a rally—one that turned into the title in the end. fulfilling the promise Chalamet made with his courtside grin.
Brunson’s 45-point performance capped the night, and Chalamet’s postgame conversation with the Finals MVP underscored how close the moment felt from the floor level: championship joy, shared in the same air, after a season that finally delivered what Knicks fans have been waiting for since 1973.
Timothée Chalamet Knicks NBA Finals 2026 San Antonio Spurs Jalen Brunson Game 5 Frost Bank Center Madison Square Garden Academy Awards sports celebrity
Courtside in San Antonio?? Must be nice, lucky guy.
Wait so he filmed it from inside the arena and that’s like… better than the Oscars?? Oscars are literally bigger though lol.
I don’t get it, wasn’t 1973 like when the Knicks lost? So why are they calling it the drought ending if it’s been 50 years? Also Timothee sounds like a curse word for my feed.
Brunson 45 points in Game 5 and Chalamet in the locker room?? I swear celebs always show up for the highlight part. And why does it say “better than the Oscars” like he’s being dramatic on purpose… but honestly good for the Knicks. Spurs double-digit lead then Knicks come back, that part I remember from the clips, kinda wild they made it happen every game.