Knicks fans pinching themselves over seeing the NBA championship banner atop MSG
Amityville's Jennifer Felice, left, and Copiague's Roger Johnson were beaming with excitement inside Penn Station before the Knicks' home opener and championship banner unveiling on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Credit: Newsday/Ben Dickson
Jalen Brunson knew exactly what raising a championship banner at Madison Square Garden would mean to Knicks fans.
“They deserve it,” he said Monday. “This is something that’s been brewing for a long time, so to share this moment with them is definitely going to be special.”
The fans couldn’t wait to share the moment with him, too.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s 106-100 season-opening loss to the 76ers, the Knicks received their championship rings and lifted the blue banner that read “2025-26 WORLD CHAMPIONS” to the Garden rafters.
The fans in attendance to celebrate included many who had never seen a championship before June, as well as many who lived through the team’s only other championships in 1970 and 1973 — some joined by a younger generation (or two) from their own family.
“Very excited,” said Frank Rapuano, 68, of Massapequa. “I saw all the games leading up to the championship and the championship game and the [OG Anunoby] tip-in and Brunson and [Josh] Hart and the whole crew and they just, they deserved it. They worked so hard. I was there in ‘69-‘70. I was a Knicks fan back then, so I remember the championship year from Walt Frazier and Bill Bradley and the crew.
“So it’s been a long time coming, 53 years.”
Rapuano attended Tuesday’s game with his son and daughter, and his grandchildren.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “Really, it’s a lot of peaks and valleys.”
Brooklyn’s Danny Slade Sr. and Danny Slade Jr. shared a similar sentiment.
“Just enjoying it with my son, because I was here in ‘70, ‘73,” the elder Slade, 71, said. “I was a high school graduate in ‘73 when they won the last one. So now I get to be here with my son. It’s a whole different ballgame.”
The younger Slade, 52, said Tuesday “absolutely” marked a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
“I’m excited because I got my dad with me — my best friend — and we get to see our favorite team who finally won the championship,” Slade Jr. said. “The last time was about seven months before I was born, so we couldn’t miss tonight. We said to hell with the parade. We want to be there opening night.”
Patrick O’Brien, 28, of Huntington, had never seen any of his favorite teams win a title. In addition to being a Knicks fan who watches every minute of every game, O’Brien is an Islanders and Mets fan. Those teams haven’t raised a banner since the 1980s.
“I haven’t seen any of them do well my entire life,” he said. “So going and seeing them actually raise the championship banner, that’s going to be great.”
He added: “I won’t believe it’s real until I see the banner up there, so that’s what I’m waiting for.”
Copiague’s Roger Johnson and Amityville’s Jennifer Felice are part of a group that has a half-season ticket package. Felice said her excitement for Tuesday night was a “high 10” out of 10, and Johnson said he was “way above” to “finally get to see the moment.”
“Just being present,” the 63-year-old Johnson added. “We went through so many down years, and we’re finally the organization to get it together, put the right people in place, and we excelled. From the playoffs, it was just awesome. Game by game. Game 4 in Cleveland. Game 4 [of the finals] in the Garden. It was just awesome.”
The pair attended most of the Knicks’ playoff games, including that historic Game 4 comeback that was capped by Anunoby’s tip-in.
“Still riding that wave and very excited to be here tonight, see all these people that are excited,” Felice said. “This is going to be great, watching the banner. This is a really great team, and the year I was born, they won. It’s been a long time. A long time as a Knick fan.”
As far as expectations for the season ahead? The fans like the Knicks’ chances.
“More of the same,” Rapuano said. “I mean, it’ll be a little bit of an uphill climb. They’re in a tough division. We’re beginning with tonight’s game. But I don’t see any reason why they can’t do it again.
“They got a taste of it, so now they know.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
