The Knicks had barely finished lifting the NBA Cup on Tuesday before the internet found its real highlight.
A playful postgame moment between teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson went viral within minutes, leading Hart to offer a tongue-in-cheek explanation on social media
“IT WAS AI,” Hart wrote on X/Twitter.
The moment unfolded during the Knicks’ on-court celebration after winning the NBA Cup on Tuesday, when Hart, standing behind Brunson, playfully poked him as cameras rolled.
Brunson jumped in surprise at the touch, turning his body fully to face Hart, who went about celebrating as if nothing ever happened.
The hilarious interaction was quickly clipped and shared across social media, where it spread rapidly and became a viral talking point.
While many, including Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, are downplaying the importance of winning the in-season tournament, it was the franchise’s first title of any kind since winning its last NBA championship in 1973.
Players from the winning team got more than $500,000 each for winning the Cup, and Karl-Anthony Towns said he will donate his winnings to youth sports programs in his native Dominican Republic.
Knicks coach Mike Brown, meanwhile, is looking forward to hanging a banner.
“The most positive is being able to hang a banner up in MSG, the most iconic arena in the league,” he told reporters.
As for the future of the Cup, the NBA announced in September that this would be the last year the semifinals and finals would be played at a neutral site. ESPN also reported the championship could be moved out of Las Vegas.