The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years, and apparently, the entire country is celebrating with them — including the folks guiding planes in and out of San Antonio and New York.
After the Knicks closed out the Spurs in Game 5 of the Finals on Saturday night, winning 94-90 at Frost Bank Center, the team boarded their flight back to New York. What happened next wasn’t part of any standard departure procedure.
Audio obtained by NBA New York and shared on social media captures the moment air traffic control in San Antonio broke protocol to send a personal message to the newly crowned champs.
‘Tell Those Guys Congratulations’
As the Knicks’ plane prepared for takeoff, the pilot checked in with the tower. The controller responded with more than just clearance.
“If you can, tell those guys congratulations, enjoy the moment,” the air traffic controller said, according to the audio.
The pilot, clearly amused, replied: “Oh they’re enjoying it back there. You probably can hear them. They’re having a good time back there, man. Yeah, we’ll pass it along.”
In the background, the unmistakable roar of a championship team letting loose was audible — shouting, laughing, and what sounded like a full-blown celebration shaking the cabin.
The tower controller chuckled: “Yeah, I can hear ’em.”
The Welcome Home
But the love didn’t stop in Texas. When Delta Flight 8938 — carrying the Knicks — approached New York airspace, the pilot got back on the radio. He informed New York TRACON that the plane was flying over the Verrazzano Bridge.
The response from the New York air traffic team was just as heartfelt — and a little sleepy.
“Please let the guys know, New York TRACON, LaGuardia Tower, Kennedy Tower, maybe even Newark Tower, Westchester Tower — we’re all on about three to four hours of sleep, but as happy as we could ever be,” the controller said.
It was a small moment that captured the enormity of what this championship means to the city. The Knicks have galvanized New York in a way no sports team has in decades, according to fans and media alike. Jalen Brunson has emerged as the kind of transcendent star the city hasn’t seen since Derek Jeter, and the 2026 Knicks are already being mentioned in the same breath as the 1994 Rangers.
From air traffic controllers to sanitation workers to Ben Stiller to the mayor, the entire city seems to be riding this wave.
A Title Decades in the Making
The Knicks didn’t make it easy on themselves. They won Game 4 at Madison Square Garden with the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. Then they rallied again in Game 5 to secure the franchise’s third Larry O’Brien Trophy.
For a team and a city that waited 53 years, a few air traffic controllers staying up late to say congratulations seemed like the least the universe could do.
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