The 53-year wait is over. The New York Knicks have won the 2026 NBA Championship, and it’s an exciting time for New Yorkers. While there are many winners here, there are several losers with the Knicks winning this championship. Here are the top 10.
1. Victor Webanyama
What an absolute fraud Victor Webanyama is. This is the guy the NBA wants to make the next LeBron? He has the attitude of one being an egomaniac and diva, so he’s got that going for him. Along with the refs missing blatant fouls he committed, it was embarrassing. This guy played dirty all series, whether it was trying to tear OG Anunoby’s ACL in Game 4 or pulling a Zaza Pachulia on Jalen Brunson in Game 5.
This series was over the moment Webanyama committed that awful turnover in Game 2 of this game. Along with his awful 2nd half performance in game 4, this was a bad look for him, and he’s going to be associated with the biggest blown lead in NBA finals history for the rest of his career. That’s a hard reputation to shake off.
One thing Webanyama must do this offseason is mature and fast. He acted like a crybaby throughout the series, and the organization has to feel embarrassed. Especially that last comment he made to the media, “see you never.” He needs to show some respect. He may be only 22, but he needs to act like a professional and stop taking cheap shots mid-game.
2. De’Aaron Fox
If there is one player who comes out of this series the worst for the Spurs, it’s easily De’Aaron Fox. Especially when he had the worst basketball IQ moment in a big game since J.R. Smith in 2018. That was in Game 4, where he had the ability to run the clock out to win the game, but decided to shoot the basketball. A mistake like that is one that no player ever recovers from.
Fox got outplayed by Dylan Harper throughout this series, and it makes no sense why he got more minutes than Harper. With Fox’s confidence shot and his horrendous shooting (especially in Game 5, when he was 3/15 (1 of 8 from 3), it’s crazy the Spurs didn’t make the switch. Good luck dealing with that awful contract, Spurs, as his extension kicks in next year.
3. Mitch Johnson
Coaching does not matter in this league, but Mitch Johnson got exposed. How sad was the Spurs‘ performance is? They have had at least a 12-point lead in every game this series, along with the biggest blown lead in finals history, the Atlanta Falcons would be proud.
When a team blows this many leads in the finals, the “head coach” has to get some of the blame. The Big 3 could not finish, but Johnson just could not counsel these guys or control their egos. The team even had the refs on their side, too, and still couldn’t finish strong.
Johnson sticking with Fox over Harper makes no sense at all. Harper is a rising star and future Big 3 piece to this core. Yes, these players choose when they want to play in this player-driven league, but this was a head-scratcher. Johnson’s response to what he could do differently with Jalen Brunson. was puzzling. “Making him score fewer points?” He was like a deer in headlights.
Dan Quinn should have been fired immediately after the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead, and the Spurs should do the same with Mitch Johnson. This individual needs to be terminated tomorrow, and the franchise should have a different voice to counsel the youth. It’s clear Johnson is not it, it. Coaching isn’t valued in the NBA, so
while it may not matter who is on the sidelines, the youth on this team need a new voice in the locker room
4. Tom Thibodeau
Johnson is not the only “head coach” who gets a big L for the Knicks winning the championship. Former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau gets a tremendous L, because the Knicks’ winning proved that he was not the right voice to counsel this team to win a championship. This team won without him, and that absolutely will hurt his coaching stock if he gets hired again in the NBA or in college if he goes that route.
5. Sacramento Kings
This one will be short and sweet. No matter what the result was, the Kings were destined to be losers in this finals matchup. It was either they saw one of their former top players, Fox, win with the Spurs, or their former “head coach,” Mike Brown, win with the Knicks. It’s another example of the Kings being the most dysfunctional franchise in the NBA. Brown was fired 18 months ago and is now a champion.
6. Nico Harrison & Dallas Mavericks
Nico Harrison has taken so many L’s that he probably has a tattoo of the letter on his body. The biggest mistake the Mavericks ever made was not trading Luka Doncic. Yes, that trade makes zero sense in the return, but what’s worse is letting a Finals MVP escape. Jalen Brunson skipped town after getting a lowball offer of 4 years and $55 million. That’s what happens when a team acts broke: the Mavericks’ loss is the Knicks’ gain.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
This marks the fourth time that the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves left and won a championship on another team. Kevin Garnett, the greatest Timberwolves player of all time, left and won a championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. Kevin Love went to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and won with LeBron. Andrew Wiggins won a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2022.
Now, Karl-Anthony Towns can be added to the list. He was a big piece of this Knicks Big 4 championship squad. Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, it’s a trend that will likely continue. Who wants to place bets on where Anthony Edwards will win a championship when he leaves Minnesota?
8. The Entire NBA Referee Crew
The officiating throughout this series was absolutely terrible and clearly one-sided. There were so many missed calls that it was absolutely ridiculous. Many of them favored the San Antonio Spurs, and as mentioned earlier, a lot of the missed fouls that Wemby committed. This series was a poor look at the NBA officiating crew, and Adam Silver has to look in the mirror and make changes to how games are called. That’s a long shot, as this commissioner cares more about “tanking” and lottery odds than he does poor officiating or making coaching matter again.
9. Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are the most dysfunctional franchise in the NBA, not named the Sacramento Kings. This decade has been an absolute failure for this franchise with how their Big 3 (James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving) flopped. To make it worse, in 2026, they failed at the draft lottery and now have to watch the New York Knicks, a team in the same state, win the Championship.
It gets worse as Mikal Bridges, one of the few talented players they had, became the final piece to that Knicks squad. They have a lot of 1st round picks, but in the end, getting that championship overshadows the haul they got. This Knicks win is just another reminder of the Nets being less valued in NY relevance. They should return to New Jersey, but that’s not happening with the incompetent owner owning the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
10. Becky Hammon
It seems weird to list a WNBA coach in an NBA loser list, but when Hammon couldn’t keep her mouth shut its hard to ignore it. In 2023, she stated that Jalen Brunson was not a “1A dude,” and “If your best player is small, you’re not winning”. Man, did those comments age like milk with the Knicks winning this championship. Brunson proved Hammon wrong here and thus became a big loser.
Congratulations to the Knicks
No matter how many losers come out of this series, there is only one main winner, and that is the New York Knicks. After 53 years, the wait is over, and the team is the NBA Champion. Congratulations to every player on that team and fan of the fanbase.
