![New York Knicks players pose with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after winning the NBA Finals. [NYKnicks Instagram]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Untitled-design109-400x200.png)
Jalen Brunson scored 45 points and earned NBA Finals MVP honors as the New York Knicks captured their first championship in 53 years with a Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
More than 120 basketball fans gathered in Mandaluyong City to watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals through Prime Video, creating a lively community celebration around one of basketball’s biggest stages.
It would seem light years away but ‘Zen Master’ Phil Jackson, the winningest coach in National Basketball Association (NBA) history with 11 titles, once set foot on Philippine soil.
![Malcolm Brogdon is a player to watch this NBA trade deadline. [photo credit: Malcolm Brogdon Instagram]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Snapinsta.app_149535581_3290246581079465_5774972373316246892_n_1080-e1705896131770-400x200.jpg)
The New York Knicks need a guard to come off the bench so a deal before the February 8 trade deadline could happen. One name that should be monitored is Malcolm Brogdon of the Portland Trail Blazers.
![Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers [photo credit: Donovan Mitchell Instagram]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Snapinsta.app_399743871_1561048851368263_1891391009227086368_n_1080-e1704348254107-400x200.jpg)
Donovan Mitchell could be heading to a new team after the current season and several teams have already been linked to the 4-time All-Star.
These are (Manila time and in chronological order): Atlanta at New York (1 a.m.), Boston at Milwaukee (3:30 a.m.), Golden State at Phoenix (6 a.m.; head-to-head series tied at 1-1), Brooklyn vs. the LA Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena (9 a.m.), and Dallas at Utah (11:30 a.m.).
Some of the most prolific individual scoring performances in National Basketball Association history have come on Christmas Day.
![Julius Randle [photo from Instagram: juliusrandle30]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/134745792_3364772003632227_3332630124278508263_n-e1631454652123-400x200.jpg)
Last season (2020-21), the 6-8 Randle joined Bird as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and post a three-point field goal percentage of .400 or better in the same campaign.
Wataru Misaka was 5-foot-7 and was drafted by the New York Knicks of the then BAA (Basketball Association of America), the forerunner and precursor of the NBA or National Basketball Association.