A former Kings coach officially is an NBA champion.
Mike Brown, who coached Sacramento for two-plus seasons from 2022-2024 before he was fired midway through the 2024-25 season, led New York to a 2026 NBA Finals victory on Saturday after the Knicks’ 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 at Frost Bank Center.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 53 YEARS, THE KNICKS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS 🏆
New York defeats San Antonio 4-1 in the NBA Finals, capturing their third championship in franchise history! pic.twitter.com/i1gmntBe06
— NBA (@NBA) June 14, 2026
Brown’s Knicks took down Victor Wembanyama and former Kings guard De’Aaron Fox’s Spurs to secure New York’s third championship and first since 1973. Jalen Brunson put up a historic performance in the victory, dropping 45 points to become the first Knicks player to score 40 or more points in a Finals game.
This is Brown’s fifth NBA championship as a coach, after securing his first as an assistant coach with the Spurs in 2003 before winning three as a Golden State Warriors assistant in 2017, 2018 and 2022.
Brown and the Knicks capped off their impressive 53-29 regular season with a dominant 16-3 playoff record, which included a historic 13-game playoff win streak on their way to securing the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
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