The Tonight Show turned into a full-on Knicks lovefest as superfan Jimmy Fallon stacked the guest lineup with players from the NBA championship team and the audience with die-hard Knicks fans who did not get to attend the Finals in person. Monday’s episode, which airs tonight at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, bumped original guest Lin Manuel Miranda, who graciously conceded his couch spot. His appearance was taped to air next week.
Knicks night started with some boos — the warmup comic joking that “the Spurs are here!” — then house band the Roots about-faced the vibe when they kicked into Kool & the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie.” As a tribute to the Knicks, the Empire State building seen in the backdrop of Fallon’s stage was set to blue and orange.
Fallon’s monologue was celebratory, and irreverent, with the Tonight Show host still marveling about Saturday’s NBA championship win. Eliciting plenty of laughs, Fallon took a dig at Trump (“The last time New York City cheered like that was when Trump announced he wouldn’t attend Game Four,” the host quipped), and cracked of the night’s guests, Wu-Tang Clan: “Right now, backstage smells extra celebratory,” he said.
The night also featured surprises, including unannounced guest Spike Lee, and beach balls shaped like basketballs were thrown to the audience along with blue-and-orange confetti.
Then it was time to bring out the Knicks, whom Fallon introduced as “The kings of the comeback. A team of history. Our dream team, the 2026 NBA World Champion Knicks.”
The guys all came out to deafening cheers as the Roots played “We Are the Champions” like they really meant it. The team was beaming with smiles, as Jalen Brunson brought out their hard-won trophy.
The Tonight Show guests were grouped into two trios for the taping. The first being Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Coach Mike Brown. The second comprised OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges.
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“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Brunson told Fallon of their win. “And I don’t know if it will for a while. The opportunity presented itself, we went there as a team, we found a way to do it and fight back all those games, and it was worth it.” Towns was asked about how loud Knicks fans are during games, and he commented that “It’s helpful.” Their fans were also out in full force during The Tonight Show taping, where it was difficult to hear over ecstatic and spontaneous cheers of “MVP” and “Let’s Go Knicks.”
In the second segment featuring Anunoby, Hart, and Bridges, Fallon noted how Anunoby was characteristically stoic, though Anunoby disagreed. Then Fallon made fun of him not knowing how to end his IG Live after the game, which drew big laughs from the audience. Anunoby took it all in stride, explaining that “I just got that phone.” Among the tidbits discussed, Hart said “I saw a man flying” when describing Anunoby’s clinch move, and Hart announced he wanted everyone to refer to him as “champ.” Meanwhile, Bridges joked that Hart “was a bully” during college at their alma mater Villanova, where he, Hart, and Brunson went to school and played.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs at 11:35pm ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
The Knicks’ Tonight Show appearance comes as the team makes the celebratory rounds after they beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals on Saturday (June 13). The title marked the franchise’s first in 53 years, setting off a massive wave of celebrations around New York City. (A ticker-tape parade in Manhattan is scheduled for Thursday, June 18. During Monday’s taping, Fallon joked: “Thursday’s victory parade starts around 10 a.m. at Battery Park and should end sometime around Thanksgiving.” )
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As for the decision to pair the Knicks with the Wu-Tang Clan for the show, that comes after the NYC rap legends played a small (but apocryphally pivotal) role in the team’s championship run. During Game Four, the Wu-Tang Clan provided the halftime entertainment, taking the stage when the Knicks were down a seemingly insurmountable 29 points. Had the Knicks lost, the Spurs would’ve tied the series at two games apiece.
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Despite the heavy deficit, Method Man ended the performance by declaring, “Knicks in five.” The team then rallied to win Game Four 107 – 106, then dispatched the Spurs in Game Five a couple of days later.
The Wu-Tang Clan weren’t the only artists relishing the Knick’s title run either. Fat Joe recently spoke with Rolling Stone about his new song “Victory Lap (Him),” his longtime Knicks fandom, and being incorporated into the fabric of the team even as a fan. “My team, I’ve supported my whole life, is now in the championship, and they’re including me, which is weird as a fan. The other night, the coach [Mike Brown] said, ‘Fat Joe’s jewelry is blinding me.’ Like, come on, man! As a kid, as a Knicks fan, you think I ever dreamed that the coach would mention me?”
