CJ McCollum helped the Atlanta Hawks edge the Knicks in Game 3 and then melted hearts with a surprise postgame visit from his son.
The Atlanta Hawks turned a tense Game 3 into a one-point win, but CJ McCollum’s postgame moment with his son stole the spotlight.
Atlanta held off the New York Knicks 109-108 on Apr.. 24, 2026, and McCollum delivered when the game tightened.. With his team needing stops and points in the final stretch. he answered late and played the kind of playoff-style possession-by-possession basketball that separates close games from runaway ones.. The result left Atlanta up 2-1 in the first-round series. putting the Hawks just one victory away from either tying things up or taking control deeper into the bracket.
Still, it wasn’t only the scoreboard that traveled across social media.. During his postgame interview on NBA on Prime. McCollum was greeted by a surprise guest off-camera—his son. Jacobi James McCollum.. Though the exchange was brief. it landed immediately with fans: his son looked to him and said. “You’re my best. ” and McCollum responded. “You’re my best buddy.. I love you so much.” It was the kind of raw. instinctive reaction that fans can’t help but feel good about. especially after a night of playoff tension.
Across the league that day, the playoff picture tightened further.. Atlanta joined Minnesota and Toronto in securing Game 3 victories on their home courts. and each team’s next step now looks clearer than it did 48 hours earlier.. On the other side of the night. the Knicks. the Nuggets. and the Cavaliers left with plenty to process—particularly around performance and roster depth as the postseason demands more from every rotation.
That mix—high-stakes basketball on the floor and something human and personal in the background—tells you why playoff moments spread so quickly.. McCollum’s clutch play mattered for the Hawks, but the viral father-son exchange became its own kind of highlight reel.. It offered a reminder that elite athletes still have the same priorities at home. even while they’re trying to win games that can swing an entire series.
For Atlanta, Game 3 also carried a strategic message: when the margin is this thin, late-game execution isn’t optional.. McCollum’s ability to punish New York in the closing stretch suggests the Hawks will keep looking for him as defenses try to take away the easier reads.. In a series. the team that controls the final five minutes often dictates the emotional tone of the next game—and a 2-1 lead can shift pressure in Atlanta’s favor.
There’s also a wider context to what happened on Apr.. 24.. The playoffs don’t just reveal who’s talented; they reveal who’s consistent under fatigue. who can adjust after momentum swings. and who can withstand the mental grind of repeated must-win possessions.. Moments like McCollum’s son appearing right after the game can seem “lighter” than that. but they underline the psychological side too: athletes perform better when they can reset their mind. even briefly. before the next round of preparation.
McCollum and his wife, Elise, have two children—Jacobi, born in January 2022, and a daughter named Margaux, born in November 2023.. That personal background makes the viral clip feel even more grounded, because it isn’t a scripted moment.. It reads as a family interruption in the middle of playoff chaos. which is exactly why fans reacted so strongly in the comments.
With Atlanta now holding a 2-1 series advantage. the next question is straightforward: can the Hawks bring the same late-game intensity and keep the Knicks from reasserting themselves?. For New York, the path back starts with improving how they handle crunch-time possessions—both offensively and defensively.. For the rest of the postseason race. the broader takeaway from the day is equally clear: home court still matters. and one game can quickly become the hinge that determines who leads and who chases.