Ahead of the NBA Finals starting Wednesday night, Yankees superstar Aaron Judge sent a supportive message to the New York Knicks, whose last championship came in 1973. Judge said a Knicks title would be incredible for a city that has been waiting decades, with
The NBA Finals tip off Wednesday night between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, and in New York, the moment doesn’t feel small.
For the Knicks, the wait stretches back further than most fans can comfortably count. New York last reached the NBA Finals in 1999 and hasn’t won an NBA championship since 1973. The excitement throughout the city has been palpable, and the team received a boost that traveled far beyond basketball.
The Knicks were sent a supportive message from Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, along with several members of both the Yankees and Mets. When asked what a Knicks championship would mean for New York, Judge didn’t hold back.
“Oh, it’d be incredible,” Judge said. “This team’s been getting close the last couple of years and has a great young core. You know, when the Knicks are doing well and winning championships, it helps us at the stadium too. The fans are pumped up — we hear it every game. We’re rooting for them. We’ve got their back.”.
New York hasn’t lacked for big sports drama, but titles have been scarce. The last professional sports team in New York to win a championship was the Liberty, which captured the WNBA title in 2024. The Yankees reached the World Series just weeks later, but they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This postseason, the Knicks are staring at a chance to change the city’s long-running rhythm. For the Spurs, it’s a different kind of milestone: an opportunity to win their first championship since 2014. For New York, it’s a chance at something that feels overdue.
The stakes are clear in the matchups that brought these teams to this point. The Spurs are talented, but the Finals stage is still new in significant ways for their current group. The Knicks. meanwhile. haven’t been there for decades. but they have kept getting close—enough that a younger core now carries real pressure and real possibility into Wednesday night.
One thing is hard to ignore: when sports teams in New York start winning, the energy doesn’t stay inside one arena. Judge’s message made that connection plain, tying Knicks success to what fans bring to the stadium—every game, every week, every year they’ve waited.
New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs Aaron Judge NBA Finals Yankees Mets WNBA Liberty New York sports
So basically Judge is saying win = New York magic? I mean cool but the NBA doesn’t care about baseball.
I don’t get why everyone keeps saying 1973 like it’s a curse. New York has won stuff since then too? Liberty just won in 2024 right, so what’s the “overdue” part??
Wait reply to Marcus but Judge said Knicks win would mean New York… doesn’t that also mean Yankees should’ve won because New York is the same city? lol logic is weird.
Aaron Judge cheering for the Knicks is kinda wholesome but I swear this “young core” talk always jinxes them. Also the article says Spurs haven’t won since 2014 so that’s like the same as 1973 right? New York fans deserve a title though, just don’t let the hype get too loud.