3 Knicks Teammates Made Unique Basketball History With NBA Championship

On Saturday night, the New York Knicks made history when they achieved the franchise’s third NBA championship, also the first in over 50 years, which was a long time coming for many of their fans.

They captured a 94-90 Game 5 victory in San Antonio, allowing the team to complete their mission away from home, but still in front of many of their fans who made the trek to support them at the Frost Bank Center. Spike Lee, Timothee Chalamet, and Tracy Morgan were among those on hand to witness their team’s win.

The victory wouldn’t have been possible without their collection of talent, which included All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who signed with the team as a free agent in 2022. And while Brunson was the driving force of the team’s incredible playoff run, he had help.

In addition to major contributions from Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, the championship wouldn’t have been possible without Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, both of whom have former ties to Brunson.

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All three players played college basketball at Villanova and were teammates, capturing at least one championship there each.

According to ESPN insights, with their Knicks championship win, Brunson, Bridges, and Hart became the first trio of teammates to win both an NCAA title and an NBA title. The trio played under coach Jay Wright at Villanova, winning a championship there together in 2016.

Brunson also captured a championship there in 2018, when he became a National college player of the year, also winning the Bob Cousy Award and the Lute Olson Award in his standout season. Surprisingly, he was a second-round pick at No. 33 for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Bridges was with Brunson for both of those championships and was a higher pick, going 10th overall to the Phoenix Suns in the same draft as Brunson. He would play for the Brooklyn Nets briefly before being traded in July 2024 to the Knicks.

Hart played for Villanova from 2013 to 2017, so he wasn’t around for Bridges’ and Brunson’s second championship. He went on to become a No. 30 pick for the Lakers, and had stints with the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers before a 2023 trade sent him to New York.

Having three players who already worked well together in college play together on the same NBA team is undoubtedly a significant boost. Under different circumstances, the three former teammates reunited as members of a Knicks team that went on one of the most incredible postseason runs, possibly of all-time, and captured a much-deserved NBA championship.

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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 4:01 PM.