Founded by Ned Irish in 1946 as one of the NBA's original franchises, the Knicks were competitive almost immediately, reaching three straight Finals in the early 1950s under coach Joe Lapchick without winning a title. The team cooled for more than a decade afterward before a core built through the draft and trades, including Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and later Earl Monroe, brought the franchise its first two championships, in 1970 and 1973, under coach Red Holzman. The 1970 title, clinched with an injured Reed famously taking the court for Game 7, remains one of the signature moments in franchise history.

Outside of a brief run led by Bernard King in the early 1980s, the Knicks drifted for years until drafting Patrick Ewing in 1985. Ewing anchored physical, defense-driven teams under coaches including Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy that reached the Finals in 1994 and 1999 but lost both times, never capturing the title that had seemed within reach. A long period of front-office instability and losing seasons followed in the 2000s and early 2010s, interrupted only briefly by playoff runs around Carmelo Anthony. Under team president Leon Rose, the franchise rebuilt through the free-agent signing of Jalen Brunson and trades for players such as Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, culminating in the Knicks' first championship in more than half a century when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals.