Spurs didn’t – Draymond Green criticized the San Antonio Spurs for not shaking hands with the New York Knicks after losing the NBA Finals, pointing to the moment he noticed and later to a video showing Luke Kornet as the only Spurs player still doing it.
The San Antonio Spurs’ first trip to the NBA Finals ended with a New York Knicks win — and for Draymond Green, the final seconds weren’t the only thing that mattered.
On June 14, 2026, the Golden State Warriors star took to Threads to react to what he saw after the buzzer, posting: “Wow they didn’t shake their hands… that’s not good.” The post was shared alongside a clip showing the immediate aftermath, and Green left little room for interpretation.
Later, video footage circulated of most of the Spurs players walking toward the locker room after the game ended. Luke Kornet was the only player shown staying to shake hands with the Knicks. Kornet. who won a championship with the Boston Celtics a few seasons ago. appeared to know exactly what comes next in that moment.
Harrison Barnes was also not seen shaking hands with the Knicks after the loss. Mitch Johnson later framed the criticism as fuel, insisting that whatever the Spurs felt in that aftermath should become motivation rather than just embarrassment.
Johnson said: “So, whatever they feel, that’s real. That’s competitiveness. That’s what makes you better. That’s what pushes you to continue to improve in the dark. long hours when nobody’s around. and we improved a whole lot this year. and we still have a lot now. more motivation to continue to get better.”.
There was also another handshake moment elsewhere in the playoffs: many people had criticized Anthony Edwards for shaking the Spurs’ hands early in the fourth quarter of the second round. But with everything that followed, it now doesn’t look as bad as the reaction it originally drew.
For the Spurs, the lesson is now written into the routine itself — not just about how to handle a defeat, but about what you do when the game ends and the cameras are still rolling.
Draymond Green Spurs Knicks NBA Finals handshake Luke Kornet Harrison Barnes Mitch Johnson Anthony Edwards Threads