Jordyn Woods’ orange handbag, a design she created and wore throughout the playoffs, became a symbol of the New York Knicks’ 2026 run and grew popular among fans and players as a good-luck charm as the team secured its first NBA championship in 53 years.
After Game 5, Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns shouted out the accessory on Instagram, saying, “The bag did its thang tonight! I ain’t gon’ lie to you. We gotta put this in like the Whitney or the Guggenheim.” According to ESPN, that reel helped spark the Guggenheim’s decision to display the piece.
A museum spokesperson told ESPN the Guggenheim has a longstanding relationship with Towns and Woods and reached out to see if it was possible to make the idea a reality. For a limited time the clutch will be on view at the museum’s third-floor Café Rebay through June 28.
Woods, identified in reports as a designer and the fiancée of Towns, said in a statement that New York City “means so much to Karl and me,” calling it “an honor” to lend “a piece of history — and luck — back to the city.” She added that seeing the bag at the Guggenheim “somehow makes it all feel real.”
The bag missed only Game 3 at Madison Square Garden because of a no-bag policy; that contest coincided with New York’s lone loss during the series swing, and the accessory returned for the remainder of the run. During the Knicks’ championship parade, the clutch was photographed in the hands of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
According to ESPN, the Guggenheim described the display as a way to preserve and share an object tied to an important cultural moment and to introduce new audiences to the museum. The institution is also presenting “Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait” (2006) and hosting a World Cup pop-up at its Wright Restaurant, rebranded as Frank’s Pub, with livestreamed matches on Friday afternoons.
