Knicks' banner raising ceremony will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock
The Knicks celebrate after winning Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
STAMFORD, Conn. — If you’re not lucky enough to be among the 19,812 fans in attendance at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks’ season opener next Tuesday night, will you be able to watch the franchise’s first championship banner raising and ring ceremony in 53 years?
The opener against LeBron James and the 76ers will be on NBC and Peacock. Will those entities show the entire ceremony?
“100%,” NBC Sports coordinating producer Frank DiGraci told Newsday on Monday. “You will be able to see the entire ceremony from start to finish.
“We’re coming on the air at 6:30 following the news. The ceremony will start a little bit after that, and it’ll probably go 15 to 20 minutes. But our goal is 100% to capture the emotion, the energy, everything that goes with the banner ceremony and the ring ceremony.”
The NBA has a banner and ring ceremony every year (last year’s was in Oklahoma City). But since the last one for the Knicks was after the 1973 championship, this ceremony is probably going to rival one of NBC’s old slogans: Must See TV.
Former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who will be part of NBC’s coverage, still says “we” when talking about the Knicks. He expects next Tuesday to be supremely emotional.
“It’s hard to put it into words, especially for me as somebody who’s been a part of that organization,” Anthony said at the NBA on NBC media event on Monday at the network’s Stamford production center.
“I understand what it was like to have to build something over there, and for them to finally do that, it just makes that journey and those years finally mean something.
“We didn’t win it, but now [Jalen Brunson] and them can kind of take that and elongate that and celebrate just the history of what everybody put in.”
Last year’s ceremony for Thunder began with an introduction by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who awarded championship rings to the Oklahoma City owner and team president.
Then the players came through a tunnel and were given their rings, which were set in 14-karat gold and featured more than 800 custom-cut, hand-set gemstones.
After those shiny baubles were given out, the Thunder raised the championship banner.
“We’re going to follow the same blueprint this year,” DiGraci said of NBC’s coverage. “There’s a ton of collaboration between the Knicks, between the NBA, between the Knicks in-arena show and our show, and we’re all working together for that night.
“It’s not easy. But it’s also if you’re properly prepared, it comes off.”
When the banner goes up, what a moment it’s going to be for the 19,812 fans at the Garden. And the millions of Knicks fans watching at home.
“It’s validation and completion,” Anthony said. “Once we raise that up, we got it forever.”
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
