The New York Knicks are NBA champions. For the first time since 1973 — the third title in franchise history, after 1970 and 1973 — the Knicks closed out the San Antonio Spurs 4-1, clinching in Game 5 behind a 45-point Jalen Brunson masterpiece and an OG Anunoby dagger to erase a 16-point hole. And within minutes of the final buzzer, the official 2026 NBA Champions locker room gear was on the players' backs and heads for the trophy presentation: the New Era 9FIFTY snapback and the Nike trophy tee.
We graded the Knicks' Eastern Conference Champions locker room set a few weeks ago — hat A-, shirt B-, with a long complaint about the recycled gray template tee. The championship set is a different story. One of these two pieces is the best championship locker room item we have seen in years. Here is our grade on both.
New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions Locker Room Hat
The championship hat is a clear step up from the all-black conference cap. New Era went with a white crown and a black flat brim this time, a sharper two-tone base than the default all-black locker room template, and dressed it in gold: a gold-trimmed "NBA CHAMPIONS 2026" shield badge with the Knicks roundel on the front, a gold Larry O'Brien Trophy embroidered on the left side, gold New Era branding on the right, and gold contrast stitching tucked under the brim. The white-black-gold combination reads clean and genuinely champagne-celebration premium, and the little side trophy is a great touch.
The reason it stops at A- and not higher is that it still plays it a touch safe. The front is the same shield-badge layout the league hands every champion, just executed in nicer colors, and for a Knicks team this is the spot to go all the way with Knicks orange and blue rather than letting gold-on-white do most of the talking. It is a very good hat that could have been a more fun, more distinctly New York hat. We wanted a little more creativity to match the moment.
Hat Grade: A-
New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions T-Shirt
This is the one. Finally. After years of complaining about the heather-gray destination tee every champion gets recycled — the same complaint we made about the Knicks' own conference shirt — Nike actually made a championship shirt with a point of view, and it is a stunner. The base is black, not gray. The "NBA CHAMPIONS 2026" and "NEW YORK KNICKS" lettering is set in a distressed, vintage gothic blackletter that reads like a 1990s concert tour tee, all weathered texture and attitude. The NBA Finals logo and the Knicks roundel flank the centerpiece, and a small gold Nike swoosh sits up top.
But the centerpiece is the centerpiece. The Larry O'Brien Trophy is rendered in a shimmering, almost bedazzled metallic gold that glows against the black and distressed gray around it — the single best design choice on any piece of championship gear this year. It catches the light, it pops on camera, and it makes the whole shirt feel special instead of generic. This is the rare locker room tee you would actually want to wear out, not just collect. It is unique, it is cool, and it is exactly the kind of swing a 53-years-in-the-making championship deserved. Easy A+, and the best championship locker room shirt we have graded.
And it plays even better in motion. Here are the Knicks celebrating the title in the shirt — on the players, the distressed print and that gold trophy read even sharper than they do on the website product shot:
Shirt Grade: A+
Final Take
The Knicks' 2026 NBA Champions locker room set flips the script on our usual complaint. The hat is very good — a sharp white-black-gold New Era 9FIFTY that earns its A- and only misses more because it plays the shield template a touch safe. But the shirt is the triumph: a black, gold-trophy, vintage-gothic Nike tee that finally breaks the recycled-gray mold and lands as the best championship locker room shirt in years. After a 53-year wait, the Knicks got gear worthy of the moment — and the shirt, especially, is one we will be pointing to as the bar for the next champion. For the uniform side of the title run, see our 2026 NBA Finals Jersey Tracker and the Knicks 1973 vs 2026 championship uniforms comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions shirt so cool?
The 2026 NBA Champions shirt stands out because it ditches the recycled heather-gray template most champions get. It is a black Nike tee designed like a vintage concert tour shirt, with distressed gothic "NBA Champions 2026" and "New York Knicks" lettering and a shimmering metallic gold Larry O'Brien Trophy as the centerpiece that catches the light against the black base. It reads like something you would actually wear out, not just collect, which is rare for championship gear, and on the players during the trophy celebration it looked even sharper than the product shot. We graded it an A+, our highest championship-gear grade.
What grade did ColorWay Sports give the New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions shirt?
We graded the New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions locker room t-shirt an A+, our highest championship-gear grade. The black Nike tee breaks from the recycled heather-gray template every champion usually gets, pairing distressed vintage gothic "NBA Champions 2026" and "New York Knicks" lettering with a shimmering metallic gold Larry O'Brien Trophy centerpiece that glows against the black. It is unique, wearable, and the best championship locker room shirt we have graded.
What grade did ColorWay Sports give the New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions hat?
We graded the New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions locker room hat an A-. The New Era 9FIFTY snapback uses a sharp white crown with a black brim and gold detailing — a gold-trimmed "NBA Champions 2026" shield badge with the Knicks roundel, a gold Larry O'Brien Trophy on the side, and gold New Era branding — which reads a clear step above the all-black conference cap. It lands at A- because the front still leans on the standard championship shield template and could have committed harder to Knicks orange and blue.
What does the New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions shirt look like?
The New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions locker room t-shirt is a black Nike tee with a large metallic gold Larry O'Brien Trophy in the center, distressed vintage gothic "NBA Champions 2026" and "New York Knicks" lettering, the NBA Finals and Knicks logos flanking the trophy, and a small gold Nike swoosh at the top. The black base and gold-foil trophy treatment make it a notable departure from the standard gray champions tee.
When did the New York Knicks last win the NBA championship?
Before 2026, the New York Knicks last won the NBA championship in 1973, when Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2026 title is the franchise's third championship overall, after 1970 and 1973, and its first in 53 years.
Where did the Knicks championship gear come from?
The official New York Knicks 2026 NBA Champions locker room hat and t-shirt are produced by New Era (the 9FIFTY snapback) and Nike (the trophy tee) as part of the NBA's official on-court championship collection, the same gear the players wore on the floor for the trophy presentation after clinching the Finals.
