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The New York Knicks’ NBA Cup celebration took a wild turn in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
NBA Cup MVP Jalen Brunson shared the stage with his teammates for the trophy celebration, and he got an unexpected surprise from one of his best friends in Josh Hart.
As Karl-Anthony Towns lifted the NBA Cup trophy, Brunson and Hart were off to the side cheering Towns on when Hart suddenly reached for Brunson’s rear end.
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Josh Hart (3) of the New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson (11) of the New York Knicks chat during the first half of the Emirates NBA Cup against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 31, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Hart appeared to stick a finger where it probably shouldn’t, prompting Brunson to jump up and look backwards.
Cameras caught it all, and Hart admitted defeat.
“Damn. In 4k,” he wrote on X with crying laughing emojis. He then tried to plead not guilty by adding, “IT WAS AI.”
Brunson and Hart played college ball together at Villanova, winning two championships. Brunson signed with the Knicks as a free agent ahead of the 2022-23 season, and Hart joined a year later.
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. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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New York was eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals last year by the Indiana Pacers. It was the furthest they had gotten since 2000, when they were also eliminated by Indiana.
They are looking for their first NBA Finals trip since 1999, when they beat the Pacers to win the East.
Surely they have bigger goals, but the Knicks are celebrating this one.
“This is a single-elimination tournament when you get to a certain point, so every game counts,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “There was pressure on every game if you expect to be who you think you are. When you’re able to have success, it breeds confidence in everybody in the organization.”
The New York Knicks lift the trophy after the team defeated the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 to win the championship game of the Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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“This is great and we’re going to enjoy this,” Brunson added. “But once we leave tomorrow, we’re moving on.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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