The 2025/26 NBA Finals bring together the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs in a matchup that carries both sporting significance and deep family symbolism for the Brunsons. Nearly 27 years after Rick Brunson was part of the Knicks team that lost the 1999 Finals to San Antonio, his son Jalen Brunson now leads New York back to the championship stage with a chance to change that history.
Rick Brunson played a role in the Knicks’ 1999 run and appeared in one game of that Finals series, which the Spurs won 4-1. Today, he is part of the Knicks’ coaching staff and closely follows Jalen, the team’s star point guard and one of the defining players of this postseason. The father-son connection makes this Finals meeting especially meaningful, because a San Antonio victory would mean both Brunsons experienced Finals losses to the same opponent while representing the same franchise.
Jalen Brunson has helped drive New York’s resurgence. Since joining the Knicks in 2022, he has been central to the team’s return to consistent playoff contention and its first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. In this postseason, he has delivered a dominant run, helping the Knicks sweep their opponents in the earlier rounds and win the Eastern Conference without losing a game in the conference finals. His performance has strengthened his status as one of the most important players in the league’s playoff picture.
For the Knicks, this Finals appearance is more than a chance to compete for a title. It is an opportunity to end a championship drought that stretches back to 1973, the last time New York won the NBA title. The franchise’s only championships remain the ones captured in 1970 and 1973, making any Finals victory a historic breakthrough for the organization and its fans.
The Spurs, meanwhile, are aiming to add another championship to a legacy that began with their 1999 victory over the Knicks. Led by Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio enters the series seeking to extend its winning tradition and repeat the formula that brought the franchise its first NBA crown. The matchup gives the Spurs a chance to preserve a piece of their history, while the Knicks chase redemption for one of the most painful moments in their past.
For Rick and Jalen Brunson, the series carries a personal dimension that goes beyond trophies and records. A Knicks title would turn the 1999 loss into a family redemption story and create a rare shared legacy between father and son. A Spurs victory would instead seal an unusual and unwelcome piece of NBA history. Either way, the Finals are set up as a dramatic meeting between past and present, with the Brunson family at the center of the narrative.
