The New York Knicks won the NBA Cup Championship over the San Antonio Spurs last night. But to the surprise of many, the Knicks don’t have plans to hang a banner for the achievement in historic Madison Square Garden. NBA legend Reggie Miller believes it’s a sign of something deeper.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Miller was asked if the Knicks should hang a banner the way that the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks did after their title wins. Miller agreed that the Knicks absolutely should.
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He then revealed his little conspiracy theory that it was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver who directed the Lakers owners to hang the first banner in order to get everyone else to “fall in line” behind the NBA Cup.
“100%, yes,” Miller said. “I think it came down from the top. Yes. I think commissioner Silver talked to the Buss family and said, ‘Hang this banner, because everyone else will fall in line.’ Milwaukee has done it. They won last year.”
Prestige
NBA media and to a large degree NBA fans don’t care too much for the NBA Cup. They feel that the rules behind it are too arbitrary to feel truly prestigious. Some don’t even notice that the tournament is even going on at any given time.
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That makes it a lot easier to believe that Silver is behind the Lakers deciding to hang a banner to mark the “achievement.” After all, the easiest way to convince the fans and media that the tournament is to be taken seriously is if the players and the teams do it first.
Paris, FRANCE; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks before the Paris Games 2025 NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers at Accor Arena.Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters via Imagn Images
It would be a major mark for the NBA Cup if a banner were hoisted into the rafters among the many other prestigious banners to grace Madison Square Garden.
If the Knicks do change their mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see someone close to Silver making the request.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.