The San Antonio Spurs are NBA champions once again.
Victor Wembanyama delivered a masterpiece in the clinching game, recording 31 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Spurs to a 110-97 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the 2026 NBA Finals, securing San Antonio’s sixth championship in franchise history — and their first since 2014.
The victory brings the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to the Alamo exactly 12 years after Tim Duncan and company dispatched the Miami Heat in five games. This one, however, belongs to Wembanyama alone. The 22-year-old French phenomenon was named Finals MVP, averaging 28.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks across the six games — numbers that would have been remarkable for a veteran, let alone a player in his second NBA season.
“Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now,” Wembanyama said on the court afterward, clutching the Finals MVP trophy. “This team never stopped believing.”
The Knicks — in their first NBA Finals since 2000 — fought valiantly but ultimately fell short against a Spurs roster built for this moment. Jalen Brunson finished with 24 points in the closeout game, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 9 rebounds in what may have been his final game in a Knicks uniform. New York won Games 3 and 4 at Madison Square Garden to claw back to 2-2, but could not sustain the momentum against a San Antonio team that was simply better in the clutch moments.
De’Aaron Fox, who missed the first two rounds of the playoffs recovering from an ankle injury, provided crucial minutes off the bench in Games 4 and 5 — his playmaking ability taking pressure off Wembanyama in high-leverage situations. Fox finished Game 6 with 14 points and 6 assists in 22 minutes.
The series drew massive television audiences throughout, with Game 4 at Madison Square Garden averaging 18.4 million viewers on TNT — the highest NBA Finals rating since 1998. The Knicks’ run to the Finals electrified a city that had waited 26 years to see their team compete for a championship, and while the was heartbreak, the journey united New York in a way few sports moments have in recent memory.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, now tied with Phil Jackson for the most NBA championships by a head coach at six, deflected credit in characteristic fashion. “This is about the players,” Popovich said. “They earned every bit of this.”
The Knicks’ depth was tested throughout the series.OG Anunoby battled knee soreness for much of the Eastern Conference Finals and was limited in Games 1 and 2 of the Finals. Mikal Bridges stepped up with back-to-back 20-point performances in Games 3 and 4, keeping New York afloat when Brunson and Towns struggled with foul trouble.
For San Antonio, the path to the championship was defined by consistency. The Spurs finished the regular season 62-20 — the best record in the Western Conference — and lost just twice at home throughout the entire postseason. Wembanyama’s two-way dominance was the cornerstone, but the supporting cast executed with precision all year: Jeremy Sochan’s defensive versatility, Stephon Castle’s steady hand at point guard, and Chris Paul’s leadership in the locker room proved invaluable.
The Knicks enter an uncertain off-season. Brunson is expected to opt out of his contract and renegotiate a long-term max deal, while head coach Tom Thibodeau faces questions about the team’s tactical flexibility in high-pressure moments. Towns, acquired from Minnesota in a blockbuster trade last summer, could be on the move again depending on how the front office approaches its rebuild.
As for the Spurs, the celebration is just beginning. Wembanyama is under contract through 2029, the core is young, and the organization has its championship foundation firmly in place. The rest of the NBA just received a stark warning: the next decade in San Antonio may belong entirely to one Frenchman standing 7-foot-4 in the middle of it all.
Game 6 Final Score: Spurs 110, Knicks 97 — Spurs win series 4-2
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Mack Donovan is a sports columnist for Media Hook covering the NBA, NFL, Premier League, and Champions League. Follow him at @MackDonovanMedia.