New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, capturing the franchise’s first championship since 1973 and ending one of the longest title droughts in American sports, according to the report.
The victory removes the Knicks from the small group of teams with championship droughts of 50 years or more. The report notes the franchise can now reset its “years since we won a title” counter to zero and exit a category no organization wants to occupy.
The report lists other longtime droughts across the four major North American leagues. In the NBA, the Sacramento Kings’ drought is cited at 75 years; that franchise won the 1950-51 Finals as the Rochester Royals, defeating the New York Knickerbockers. The Atlanta Hawks are listed at 68 years after their 1958 title in St. Louis.
Also in the NBA, the Utah Jazz are shown at 51 years after back-to-back Finals losses in 1997 and 1998 to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The Los Angeles Clippers are listed at 55 years and have never reached an NBA Finals, with their deepest postseason run coming in the 2020-21 Western Conference finals. The Phoenix Suns’ drought is cited at 57 years; the report notes the Suns entered the league in 1968 and lost in the Finals in 1976, 1993 and 2021, each in six games.
The report also highlights NFL franchises with long gaps between titles. The Arizona Cardinals are listed at 78 years since their 1947 championship, then based in Chicago. The Detroit Lions’ last title came in 1957, a 59-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, leaving them with a 68-year drought. The Tennessee Titans are shown at 64 years; the report clarifies the franchise’s 1961-62 championship was an American Football League title as the Houston Oilers. The Los Angeles Chargers are listed at 62 years following their 1963 AFL championship win over the then-Boston Patriots.
