Jimmy Fallon celebrated the Knicks’ first NBA championship since 1973 with Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and coach Mike Brown, turning the conversation to viral superstitions—from a Knicks-orange handbag Jordyn Woods carries during games to a D
When the Knicks finally got their hands on the NBA championship, it didn’t just send players into a victory lap—it pulled New York sports culture into the brightest spotlight on late-night TV.
On Monday, June 15, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the team stopped by “The Tonight Show” to celebrate their first NBA title in more than 50 years. The episode’s musical guest was the Wu-Tang Clan.
The timing was tight: the celebratory visit came two days after New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs on June 13 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Knicks scored their first championship since 1973.
Fallon opened the conversation with a direct, almost disbelief-laced question to Brunson, who sat alongside Towns and coach Mike Brown. “Thank you for bringing a championship to New York. Has it sunk in yet, is it all surreal?” Fallon asked.
Brunson’s answer landed in the moment—celebration still happening, reality not fully arriving yet. “No, it hasn’t sunk in yet, I don’t know if it will for a while,” he said. He credited the result to what happened on the court: “The opportunity presented itself. we went out there as a team. fighting back all those games. it was worth it.”.
Fallon, who attended several Knicks playoff games courtside, described how the fans’ reaction grew louder as the season moved into its final stretch. He asked the trio whether fan energy was something they felt was distracting—or helpful.
“When we get the fans involved and we give them something to cheer for, it’s something special,” Towns said.
Then the conversation drifted into the New York tradition every champion seems to collect after the fact: superstitions. Fallon pointed out that there are “different reasons why everyone thinks the Knicks won. there’s different superstitions. ” and he zeroed in on one that has gone viral—Towns’ fiancée. Jordyn Woods. carrying a Knicks-orange handbag from her fashion brand during games. The bag has been described online as the team’s good luck charm.
Towns didn’t treat it like a joke, but he didn’t pretend it was something he could fully control either. “What do you want me to say? We were undefeated in the playoffs,” he replied. “Obviously, she made some magic when she made that Woods by Jordyn Woods bag.”
Fallon also referenced another fan theory: a WWE wrestler named Danhausen, who claims he lifted a curse from the Knicks after the team fell behind the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round. That claim traced back to a Cameo video.
“Apparently after he ‘uncursed’ the Knicks, you won every single game,” Fallon said.
Brunson admitted he started skeptical, but he couldn’t deny the final outcome. “At first, I was a little skeptical, but you have to believe it now,” he said.
Fallon’s relationship with the Knicks isn’t just casual. He’s a Knicks fan who has been cheering at numerous games this season, and he was in the crowd for Game 4 in New York on June 10—when the Knicks stunned the Spurs and delivered the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
Back on the show, Fallon called that moment “insane.” “It was unbelievable,” he said. “Everyone was crying, hugging. … Shoutout to all the Knicks fans out there! You guys are the best.”
The appearance also follows a longer thread between Fallon and Brunson. More than two years after Brunson joined Fallon for a conversation in February 2024. Fallon asked him then what he would do when the Knicks won the title—specifically whether he would bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy to “The Tonight Show.”.
“I will, 1000%,” Brunson said at the time. “I’ll bring it right here.”
On June 15, with the championship already here and the celebration still fresh, the only thing left to settle was less about the trophy—and more about how New York plans to explain every bounce, bag, and belief that came along for the ride.
Jimmy Fallon Knicks New York Knicks championship NBA Finals Jalen Brunson OG Anunoby Karl-Anthony Towns Mike Brown Jordyn Woods Danhausen superstition Tonight Show Larry O’Brien Trophy
That orange handbag thing sounds made up lol, but if it works 🤷
Fallon grilling them like it’s a conspiracy. Superstitions are fun until you realize it doesn’t matter who carries what, the team still has to play.
Wait so Knicks won the title because of a handbag? I knew it, I’m telling you lol. Also what’s the “D” thing they mentioned, like a jersey or a letter? Sounds like someone just got confused on live TV and now it’s a “ritual.”
Kinda weird to make it about rituals when they already earned it on the court. Still though, Wu-Tang Clan being the musical guest is the REAL luck charm. New York is always doing the most with sports, so this checks out.