The Knicks are not going to hang a banner inside Madison Square Garden after winning the NBA Cup, league sources told The Athletic on Wednesday.
New York, per league sources, will celebrate the accomplishment with fans before Friday’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Knicks are focused on bigger goals, like winning an NBA championship.
An NBA spokesperson said Tuesday that the decision on whether or not to hang a banner is up to the team.
Prior to Tuesday’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs, head coach Mike Brown talked to his team in the locker room about hanging a banner inside Madison Square Garden with a victory. Brown also mentioned the possibility of hanging a banner during his postgame interview with NBA on Prime host Taylor Rooks.
“Anytime you can participate in any event where you’re the last one standing and you’re able to hang a banner, especially in iconic MSG, you take that seriously,” Brown said.
Knicks guard Josh Hart also supported the notion of hanging a banner in comments earlier this week. “Why not?” Hart said when asked if a team should hang a banner for winning the Cup.
“It’s a cup. It’s a title. It’s something that you want to win. Hang a banner,” he said. “Obviously, there are different standards to the Cup and Finals, but whenever you go out there, you want to compete and win. That’s what you want to do, and then you want to celebrate that.”
“What fans we’ve got, love you guys.”
Mike Brown shouts out all the traveling fans who made it to Las Vegas for their Emirates NBA Cup Championship game 🏆 pic.twitter.com/YNWooWJXAD
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) December 17, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, the first two NBA Cup winners, both hung banners for winning the in-season tournament.
The NBA Cup is the league’s newest baby, and the league has put a lot of resources and time into making sure the event is respected.
Despite not winning an NBA championship since 1973 and having just one Eastern Conference finals appearance in the last 30 years, the Knicks have carried themselves as a highbrow organization under Dolan. Executives don’t talk to independent media on the record and access is as restricted as any team in the NBA.
It would be understandable for the Knicks to refrain from hanging an NBA Cup banner if they didn’t hang Atlantic Division banners, but they do.
