Madison Square Garden was set for a celebration, but the rafters stayed exactly the same. The New York Knicks, winners of the 2025 NBA Cup, entered their first home game since winning the championship, but there was no banner unveiling. Although the team briefly celebrated the trophy they’d just received, it was here that the NBA on Prime crew stepped in.

During the nationally televised matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, Prime analyst Taylor Rooks directly addressed what viewers had already noticed.

“What they’re not doing, though, is raising a banner, but don’t worry,” Rooks told the audience. “Here on NBA on Prime, we got you.”

The camera then panned, revealing a physical banner inside the prime studio, emblazoned with the Knicks logo and reading: 2025 Emirates NBA Cup Champions. It drew a lot of attention from her co-hosts, with Blake Griffin jokingly telling them that he thought “it was gonna say NBA on Prime for our first Cup.”

The joke landed because the decision to not hang a banner is a real organizational choice. Unlike the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks who proudly raised banners for their NBA Cup wins, the Knicks opted out entirely.

Head coach Mike Brown acknowledged the Cup as an achievement, and immediately after the team won it, he told the players that a banner would be hung for their achievements. However, soon afterward, he changed his stance, telling the media that it was “an organizational decision” to not hang a banner.

A league source revealed that the Knicks felt that hanging a banner for the Cup might take the focus off the bigger picture of winning the championship in June.

Prime’s Banner Stunt Leaves New York Knicks Fans Split on the NBA Cup

The reaction to the banner from NBA on Prime was mixed, with fans split on the decision. One segment questioned why the league doesn’t do it’s own work to honor the Cup, instead of leaving teams to make decisions.

“Can’t they just raise all those s—s in Vegas?”

The idea of hanging the banners in the T-Mobile Arena, where the Cup semis and final was held this year would be fine, but the arena is used mainly by NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, so it doesn’t really make sense to keep NBA banners of teams not even from Las Vegas at the site.

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Some leaned into the conspiracy angle, laughing at perceived awkwardness during the moment.

“NBA definitely forced them to do this bc wtf 😂😂”

‘If the Cup is supposed to matter, why does celebrating it draw so much criticism?’ seems to be the question that the comment is pointing to. This is likely because of how new the Cup is, only being around for three years, and its prestige should rise as the years go on.

Another section of the fanbase wasn’t focused on the Knicks, but on some broadcasters who they believe downplay the Knicks’ wins unless they fit a certain narrative.

“Thank you @NBAonPrime Tell Dolan and Leon to not let ESPN crappin on our win to prevent them from acknowledging a hard fought win.”

Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, an ESPN personality, called the Knicks celebration of the Cup “stupid.” Fans felt protected by Prime, who didn’t hijack the moment, but instead gave some reprieve.

There was a lot of appreciation of the Prime crew, and their willingness to lean into the moment landed with fans tired of the stiff, overproduced coverage.

“Prime is off to such a great start.”

This is a widely shared sentiment after Prime joined the group of NBA broadcasters this season, and their usage of analysis instead of debate-centric coverage.

Finally, the internet did what it always does, turning the Prime banner into content. Whether it hands in the rafters or lives on a studio set, Knicks fans already decided the win counted.

“can I get this as a towel w/ my prime shipping?”

The Knicks might not have raised a banner, but Prime’s coverage definitely drew attention, whether positive or negative.