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The New York Knicks are your 2025 NBA Cup Champions after defeating the San Antonio Spurs this week. But don’t expect the Knicks to hang a banner celebrating their NBA Cup championship.
Despite it being the franchise’s first championship of any kind in over 50 years, the Knicks have reportedly decided against adding an NBA Cup banner to Madison Square Garden. If they don’t, it would mark the first time that the team that won that tournament didn’t do so.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers each hung NBA Cup Championship banners after winning the tournament in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Bucks have only won two NBA titles, so it’s a nice addition to their short list of accolades. Likewise, the Knicks also have only two NBA Championships to their credit. The Lakers, on the other hand, have won 17 NBA Championships. So, winning the NBA Cup pales in comparison to all of the team’s other honors.
Reggie Miller thinks the NBA is behind the Lakers hanging an NBA Cup banner alongside their 17 NBA Championship banners
Wednesday morning, former NBA star turned TV analyst Reggie Miller appeared on The Dan Patrick Show. During their conversation, Patrick asked Miller if the Knicks should hang a banner in the Garden celebrating their NBA Cup title.
“Yes, they, will they, absolutely they should,” Miller replied. Yes, they should. This is a big moment for the Knicks. I think it’s a big moment for any team.
“Now, remember in the inaugural season when the Lakers won it, there was a lot of wrangling from the Lakers side of ‘we’re not going to hang a an in-season championship banner. All we hang is championship banners in retired numbers.’ What did the Lakers end up doing? Hanging a banner in Crypto.
“So, yes, absolutely. If I’m the Knicks, because this is a great building block for what’s to come down the road. And you can always revert back and look up into the rafters and see that in-season tournament banner hanging there and say, ‘Hey, as a team, this is something that we achieved and this is some, we have bigger goals, don’t get me wrong, of winning a championship, but this is a building block for this team.'”
“Do you think maybe the commissioner asked the Lakers to hang the banner, encouraged them?” Patrick then asked Miller. “We want this to be important. We want this to be bigger. And probably would say that to the Knicks?”
“100 percent, yes,” Miller replied. “I think it came down from the top. Yes. I think Commissioner Silver talked to the Buss family and said, ‘Hang this banner, because everyone else will fall in line.’ Milwaukee has done it. They won last year.”