Biggest Winners of Knicks' NBA Cup Victory

The New York Knicks' franchise hoisted NBA-related hardware for the first time in over half a century earlier this week in winning NBA Cup glory, prevailing as the last team standing in the league's new in-season tournament.

Jalen Brunson delivered with another star-level scoring game to top the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, scoring 25 to finish with a 33 point per game average across three games of win-or-go-home Cup play. He was marvelous in displaying that closing ability that has so many New Yorkers excited about another deep playoff run, but he was far from alone in this endeavor.

New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson — Dec 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) poses with the most valuable player trophy after victory over the San Antonio Spurs during the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He went out of his way to thank several of the teammates who helped overwhelm the Spurs in a dramatic fourth-quarter turnaround, where their defense and rebounding combined to hold their young opponents to inefficient slash lines while creating extra opportunities for themselves. Their supporting pieces around Brunson look better than ever, and it showed in a big spot.

OG Anunoby

Brunson won the Cup MVP award largely for his importance to the Knicks' operation across the tournament and in the final showdown, but he wasn't actually the leading scorer in the championship game. That distinction belonged to OG Anunoby, who notched 28 to lead all performers.

He was one of the most active Knicks around the rim during San Antonio's non-Victor Wembanyama minutes, cutting and finishing whenever he could to help as an off-ball presence. And even when the star center was on the court, Anunoby showed no fear in shooting over the 7'6 alien.

OG Anunoby 28 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 10/17 FG, 5/10 3FG, 0 TO, 72.9% TS vs Spurs https://t.co/ugY5MCfLnz pic.twitter.com/OXbjWQqkfg
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) December 17, 2025

He's been more willing to unload from 3-point land than ever before this season, firing over six shots from distance per game, and that massive workload enabled him to net five more triples on 10 tries.

Anunoby, now adding Cup honors alongside the 2019 NBA championship he helped win during his time with the Toronto Raptors, even got an MVP vote thrown his way for his preparedness in the San Antonio matchup. He's built up some buzz for himself as a potential deep-ballot All-Star this season, and his ability to look like the third-best player on arguably the best team out east surely won't hurt his campaign.

Mitchell Robinson

The Knicks had to credit much of their most recent Eastern Conference Finals run to their veteran center, Mitchell Robinson, as he looked like a big game player just waiting for an opportunity to contribute to high leverage basketball.

He's one of the toughest nuts around, a ferocious rebounder and versatile defender at a sturdy seven-feet tall. That still places him about half a foot shorter than Wembanyama, but if there's one kind of matchup that opponents are willing to throw at the comparatively-skinny superstar, it's a hustling bruiser.

San Antonio Spurs Forward Victor Wembanyama and New York Knicks Center Mitchell Robinson — Dec 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots the ball over New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) during the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Robinson made a compelling case for why he shouldn't be traded with a 10-offensive rebound performance and two blocks to his name, digging right back into his bag as one of the most winningest contributors on New York's roster. He challenged Wembanyama during shared minutes, made backup center Luka Kornet's life considerably tougher as a board challenger and created some truly lopsided on/off splits.

Few bigs, even defensively-improving ones like Karl-Anthony Towns, can replicate that kind of impact.

Tyler Kolek

The Cup win was, unquestionably, the biggest game of Tyler Kolek's NBA career through a season and a half in the bigs, both in terms of his personal performance and the importance of the role he played in a high-stakes situation.

He hit double-digit points for the first time with the Knicks in a 14-point outing, and demonstrated the secondary passing ability and scoring intrigue that have helped him slowly creep into the Knicks' rotation over recent weeks. He kept the ball moving to free Brunson up in kicking to shooters off his drives, and took shots of his own with quick instincts to successful results.

y'all asked for tyler kolek highlights??? 😤⬇️

📊 14 PTS | 5 AST | 5 REB pic.twitter.com/ZdjovOwoOW
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 17, 2025

It's important to note that Kolek wasn't just some Brunson substitute for 90-second intervals while the superstar sat. He played over 20 minutes, including nearly the entirety of the fourth quarter, demonstrating that he'd arrived as the necessary passing help the Knicks have long required with his loudest assurance yet.

Jordan Clarkson

Finally, we arrive at the fourth and final teammate that Brunson shouted out upon winning the tournament's MVP award.

Jordan Clarkson's 6/15 performance won't wow any box score scrollers, but the buckets he provided all felt huge. He had his fingerprints all over the Knicks' double-digit turnaround late in the second half, scoring all on his own with aa few audacious shot attempts alongside positive effort on both sides of the ball.

The pull-up threes and off-balance floaters can be aggravating when he's off his game, but Clarkson's knack for pulling bunnies out of his hat is just what the Knicks were hoping to get when they brought the prolific bench scorer over the New York. He's a confident improviser of the ilk of a JR Smith, and a necessary cog in the Knicks' machine purely for the wild card he can provide in a pinch.

Mike Brown

The Knicks entered this tournament looking to pick up some big game experience during the slog of the regular season, and no one in this locker room sounded more eager for that unique opportunity than New York's coach.

Mike Brown wasn't starting from nothing when he accepted the Knicks' head coaching role; again, this was a team that stood just a few games away from the NBA Finals mere weeks before he agreed to terms with New York management.

Dec 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New York Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown at press conference prior to the Emirates NBA Cup Final against the San Antonio Spurs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

But it's thanks to his particular touch that the Knicks were able to taste Cup gold two months into his maiden voyage at his new home. Granting heavy Kolek minutes, trusting Clarkson's occasionally-sloppy process, pulling Mikal Bridges for more fitting contributors and instituting the Knicks' rebounding and defensive culture can all be traced back to the new shot-caller.

The Knicks beat the Spurs thanks to their team-wide ability to seemingly shut down every San Antonio scorer in the clutch, which could be visibly attributed to buy-in and attention to details at a point when others could have lost their composure. The Cup winners looked all the part of a believable contender, and their having the right coach at the right time made the difference.

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