Karl-Anthony Towns finally gets the Knicks a trophy but no banner is going up

Karl-Anthony Towns came to New York to play games that actually mean something. On NBA Cup night, he finally got one.

The Knicks took down Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs 124–113 in the Emirates NBA Cup final, with KAT doing exactly what they brought him in to do: steady production, big moments, and just enough star gravity to tilt the floor. Sixteen points, eleven boards, and a trophy for a franchise that hasn’t lifted anything since 1973.

And then, as only the Knicks can, they made it weird.

Why the New York Knicks’ first trophy since 1973 comes with an asterisk

Instead of following the Lakers and Bucks and hanging an in-season tournament banner, New York is reportedly choosing not to raise anything in the rafters, according to Shams Charania. There will be a celebration with the fans Friday night, the Cup will get its moment, but there won’t be a permanent reminder next to the names every kid in Manhattan grew up memorizing.

So yes, Karl-Anthony Towns won a trophy with the Knicks. No, he won’t see “NBA Cup Champions” hanging over his head every time he runs out of the tunnel.

It’s the kind of decision that pours gasoline on the “Does this even matter?” conversation. Old heads are already there. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo basically spoke for an entire generation of Knicks fans when he said somewhere Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, and Red Holzman are rolling their eyes at celebrating “this stupid thing.” He is referencing the way the NBA used this made-for-TV invention to liven up the regular season.

You can see both sides from a mile away.

The purists don’t want the Cup anywhere near the hallowed championship banners. The league is trying to manufacture stakes in November and December. And on the other side, you’ve got a fanbase that has spent decades watching everyone else celebrate. For a lot of Knicks fans under 40, this is the first time they’ve ever seen their team win anything with confetti falling considering they haven't even won the Eastern Conference since 1999.

For KAT, this is validation that the move to New York can actually come with big-stage moments. It’s not the Finals, but it is a high-pressure game in a packed building against the most hyped player since LeBron, and he answered the bell. That kind of night hits differently in a career that’s been full of empty-calorie regular-season production.

Banner or no banner, this is what he signed up for.

If the Knicks ever do win the real thing, nobody’s going to bring up the Cup first. But for now? This is as close as New York has been to feeling like a championship city in 50 years. If the players want to celebrate it, and the fans want to scream about it, maybe the rest of us can just let them enjoy a rare fun chapter instead of arguing over what level of trophy joy is “allowed.”

Karl-Anthony Towns will finally get to hold something shiny at the Garden. Even if the rafters stay empty, that still matters.