The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years this past June, and the trophy has been on quite the victory lap since. Now it’s settling into a more permanent home — at least for a while.
The Larry O’Brien Trophy went on display at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan this week, according to the New York Post. That means fans who didn’t get a chance to see it during the ticker-tape parade or on Jimmy Fallon’s couch can finally catch up.
The trophy has been everywhere lately. It stopped by WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event. Jalen Brunson basically treated it like a carry-on — not quite Stanley Cup levels of chaos, but close. It hit Tiffany & Co.’s flagship store, did the Tonight Show thing, and now it’s hanging out with dinosaur bones and dioramas.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander let fans touch the trophy last season, but it’s unclear if the Natural History Museum is offering the same hands-on experience. Probably not. Don’t try it.
What’s the deal with the trophy itself
The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy after the 1976 season. It debuted in 1977. The league named it after Larry O’Brien, who was commissioner from 1975 to 1984. Tiffany & Co. designed it — a gold basketball frozen mid-swish, right as it goes through the net. The NBA updated the design in 2022 for the league’s 75th anniversary, so it’s a little sleeker now.
Since 1984, the trophy gets handed over immediately after the Finals. No waiting around. You win, you grab it. The Knicks got theirs on the Garden floor in June, and it hasn’t stopped moving since.
For New Yorkers who still can’t believe the Knicks actually pulled this off — and let’s be honest, that’s most of them — this is as close as you’ll get without a field pass. The museum is open regular hours. The trophy is in there. Go see it.
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