Josh Hart Gives Historic Ball to Knicks Rookie

It didn't count toward his historic box score but New York Knicks star Josh Hart recorded perhaps one more rebound after the final buzzer sounded at Madison Square Garden.

Hart made Knicks history in the 128-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks, as his 16-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double gave him nine this season. That broke Walt "Clyde" Frazier's long-standing hold on the franchise's single-season record for most triple-doubles, a record Hart had before the third period let out.

That made Tuesday's game ball a niche, if not valuable, artifact in Knicks' history. The possession arrow, however, points not to Hart but rather rookie Kevin McCullar Jr., who earned his first NBA entry and points in the final stages of the victory.

Kansas graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) reacts after sinking a three against Kansas State in the first half of the Sunflower Showdown inside Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday, March 5, 2024. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

"For me, that's an easy decision," Hart said of passing the ball to McCullar, per video from SNY. "That record is cool and a blessing, but, at the end of the day, it's going to get broken at some point, hopefully later, if not sooner. Getting your first NBA points, no one can take that away from you."

McCullar's muted, if not triumphant, showing was perhaps buried beneath a plethora of Knicks history: in addition to Hart's new mark, he and Karl-Anthony Towns became the first pair of New York teammates to secure triple-doubles in the same game.

Nevertheless, McCullar officially resides on the NBA ledgers and to say he earned it would be the understatement of the season: through Monday, the 56th pick of last June's draft had no designation other than "out" on the nightly injury report. He has spent most of his freshman campaign recovering from a knee injury that wiped out his final collegiate days at Kansas.

Josh Hart was on giving Kevin McCullar Jr. the game ball even though he broke the Knicks triple-doubles in a season record

"That record is cool and a blessing, but it's gonna get broken at some point. Getting your first NBA points, no one is going to take that away from you" pic.twitter.com/yHmLAxoCZw
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 26, 2025

McCullar officially entered NBA history when the Knicks (45-26) had built a 24-point lead with just over three minutes remaining. He checked in for Landry Shamet and sank his first NBA try from the field with 1:41 remaining, earning an appreciative cheer from the Madison Square Garden crowd.

"Josh is a good dude, that's like my vet on the team," a grateful McCullar said in the aftermath (h/t New York Basketball on X). "He's shown me nothing but love since I got here. I appreciate him doing that."

McCullar is currently working on a two-way deal that has him commuting between Manhattan and the G League club in Westchester. As the Knicks deal with injuries in the backcourt (I.e. Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride), he'll likely be on the NBA bench against the Los Angeles Clippers (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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