The New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Championship on Saturday night, defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games, 4-1. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was named the Finals MVP after orchestrating his team to multiple comeback wins during the series.
Brunson, along with teammate Mikal Bridges, now has the rare distinction of being both an NBA Champion and NCAA Tournament champion. Brunson and Bridges were on Villanova’s 2016 and 2018 championship teams.
Brunson and Bridges’ Wildcats won their first title in April 2016. Just about 19 months later, they would face off against Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers during a game in the Battle 4 Atlantis showcase on Nov. 23, 2017.
You have to wonder whether the Knicks get it done without Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges being battle-tested by the 2017–18 Tennessee Volunteers during the Battle 4 Atlantis. pic.twitter.com/uCjZV2C6X7
Advertisement— John Sartori (@JohnSartoriTV) June 14, 2026
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Tennessee took a 46-34 lead into the halftime break against the eventual national champions. Grant Williams gave the Vols some much-needed plays as Tennessee would end up going on an 11-2 run to take the lead with about eight minutes to go in the first half. Tennessee got the lead as high as 15 points in the half after John Fulkerson hit some big free throws.
Villanova wouldn’t go away quietly, though. The No.5-ranked team burst out to an 11-0 run out of the gates of the second half and proved to be too much for the Vols to handle in the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats forced 12 Tennessee turnovers in the second half, while shooting 52% from the field as a team.
Grant Williams had 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while Admiral Schofield added 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting. James Daniel III had 10 points off the bench, while all of Jordan Bowden’s nine points came from behind the three-point line. John Fulkerson had seven points, while Kyle Alexander, Lamonte Turner, and Jordan Bone all had four points each.
New York Knicks champions Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges had 25 points and 21 points, respectively. Brunson went 8-of-16 from the floor, while Bridges knocked down seven of his 10 shots. Brunson, Bridges, Williams, and Schofield were the game’s four leading scorers.
Villanova would go on to defeat Michigan for the 2018 NCAA Championship that season.
