Karl-Anthony Towns has clearly enjoyed becoming an NBA champion in New York. He has enjoyed the parties, the energy, the sleepless nights, and the feeling of helping end a 53-year Knicks title drought.
But on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Towns summed up the wildest part of the Knicks’ championship run with one perfect punchline.
“It was so amazing to see our team bring together New York,” Towns said. “Hell, I saw Brooklyn celebrating for the Knicks and they have a whole team!”
“It was so amazing to see our team bring together New York. Like, I’ve never seen all five boroughs get together. Hell, I saw Brooklyn celebrating for the Knicks, and they have a whole team [the Nets].”
—Karl-Anthony Towns 😅
(via @LateNightSeth)pic.twitter.com/ewJtFK3fX1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 17, 2026
That is championship comedy with a little city truth inside it. The Nets exist. Brooklyn has its own NBA franchise, its own arena, its own colors, its own fan base. But when the Knicks won the title, the emotional borders disappeared. Manhattan celebrated. Queens celebrated. The Bronx celebrated. Staten Island celebrated. And yes, even Brooklyn apparently looked around, shrugged, and joined the orange-and-blue party.
That is what made this Knicks championship feel bigger than basketball. New York did not just watch a team win. It adopted the moment as a civic event. The Knicks’ 94-90 Game 5 win over the Spurs gave the franchise its first NBA title since 1973, and the reaction turned the city into one giant celebration.
