Gary Franks, syndicated columnist

It has been 53 “short years” or “just” 19,698 days (May 10, 1973) since the New York Knicks were NBA champions.

Richard Nixon was president, dealing with the Watergate scandal at the time. The Paris Peace Accord all but ended the Vietnam War as major combat troops were exiting the region. Baseball legend, Jackie Robinson, the man who integrated sports, had died just seven months prior. Spiro Agnew became the first vice president to plead guilty to a criminal offense and resigned, with Congressman Gerald Ford being selected as Nixon’s new vice president. I was in my sophomore year of college.

I could go on, but I think you get the message: It was a long time ago.

The NBA Finals were filled with peaks and valleys for both teams – or as they are known in basketball lingo, “runs.” This is when one team seems to hit every shot attempted and the other team merely watches while often missing nearly every shot they attempt. Then, the reverse often occurs.

As many had predicted (me included), the more experienced and seasoned team, the Knicks, would prevail. Former NBA champion and current Knick star, OG Anunoby, was unforgettable, performing a heroic “superman” leap and one-handed tip-in of a missed shot during the waning seconds of game 4. That bucket propelled the Knicks to a one-point victory and a 3-1 advantage prior to game 5 in the best-of-seven series.

The Villanova trio that won the 2016 NCAA championship and now are the core of the 2026 NBA champion Knicks – Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson – were playing against some San Antonio Spur players who were in elementary school in 2016. The runner-up Spurs are a very young team, and like almost everything in life, experience does matter.

This Knick championship was especially sweet for me due to the return of the superstar “little guy.” Brunson – who, at just 6’2” – joins three other small guards to lead his team to the top of the mountain and win the series MVP award. They include Bob Cousy (6’1″) for the Boston Celtics, Isaiah Thomas (6’1“) for the Detroit Pistons, and Stephen Curry (6’2”) for the Golden State Warriors.

I will always have a unique connection with the 1973 Knicks. In my “Forrest Gump” style life, I personally knew and became friends with the Knicks’ Captain Willis Reed. I was a 16-year-old camper at Reed’s basketball camp.

Reed and I became friends. While in college, I returned to Reed’s basketball camp years later as a counselor (a former camper returning to help train young campers). As a congressman, many years later, Reed invited me to accompany him to New Jersey Nets games as Reed was the team’s vice president and general manager. I am sure he is toasting the 2026 Knicks up in heaven.

At that camp I also first met the Knicks’ star small forward – Bill Bradley. I was determined to emulate “Dollar Bill,” the epitome of a scholar-athlete. I read his book, “A Sense of Where You Are,” and practiced his shooting drills for hours daily during the summers. It worked.

We would both captain Ivy League basketball teams (Princeton for Bradley and Yale for me). We were both socially conscious during our youth and wanted to serve our country. Thus, we both got elected to Congress.

Senator Bill Bradley and I served on a Conference Committee where the House and Senate members met to reconcile differences between the two chambers prior to producing and sending a final version of legislation to each chamber for final approval. I also remember an awkward encounter at the annual White House Picnic when I informed Bradley that I had idolized him in grade school (hearing that probably made him feel old).

In Forrest Gump-like fashion, get this, the director of Reed’s camp was a guy by the name of Bobby Knight. Knight, at the time, was head coach of Army’s basketball team and the assistant director of the camp was Knight’s assistant coach at Army. The latter was a young guy whom everyone called, “Coach K” – Mike Krzyzewski. Yes, I was being trained by two men who would go on to become two of the greatest and winningest coaches in the history of college basketball.

Oh, besides Bradley, a host of other NBA players were at the camp giving us tips and practice drills we could adopt to make us better basketball players. Heck, I even had the opportunity to play in pickup games with Bradley and Reed. I do not think even Forrest Gump could match that.

There was an exceptionally tall lanky kid from the University of North Dakota who was a Knick reserve – Phil Jackson. Yes, “the Phil Jackson” who went on to win more NBA titles (11) than any other coach in the history of the game.

To say the least, I learned a lot – practice routines, ball handling and shooting drills, maintaining a proper diet, conditioning and even strength training techniques. Prior to the camp as a sophomore I averaged around 5 points per game as a part-time varsity high school starter. After the camp, I went on to average over 20 PPG and led my team to a league title and received All-State mention as a junior.

The victory for the Knicks was a true team effort and all involved should receive high praise, from the owner, James Dolan (for assembling the team), the coaches (head coach Mike Brown and his staff), the trainers, to the families of each of the players for being there when needed.

Lastly, Brunson’s immediate reaction after the clock hit zero and the win was secured was truly special. The Knicks’ captain walked over to shake the hand of the Spurs’ head coach in friendship and admiration for his team’s performance. Then Brunson turned to his father. We saw the “father and son” hug between Jalen and his proud father, Knicks Assistant Coach Rick Brunson, which will stand out in my memory for years to come.

Something tells me that we will not have to wait another 53 years to see all this happen again in New York. For the Spurs’ superstar Victor Wembanyama and his team – your day will come. And for New York City, as in Frank Sinatra’s hit song “New York, New York” – “Start Spreading the News” – the Knicks have arrived!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Gary Franks served three terms as a congressman from Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black conservative elected to Congress and first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years. Host: Podcast “We Speak Frankly” www.garyfranksphilanthropy.org.