Here's a look back at what was going on in the sports and pop culture world the last time the Knicks and Spurs faced off in the NBA Finals.
Here's a look back at what was going on in the sports and pop culture world the last time the Knicks and Spurs faced off in the NBA Finals.
Anthony GharibMay 30, 2026, 11:11 PM ET
It's time to party like it's 1999 because the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs have advanced to the NBA Finals.
New York swept the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, defeating them 130-93 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. San Antonio advanced after a 111-103 victory in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
This will be the Knicks' first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1999, when they lost to the Spurs in five games. San Antonio last played in the NBA Finals in 2014, when the Spurs beat the Miami Heat. This is also the first time that NBA Cup finalists will meet in the NBA Finals in the same season (Knicks won 124-113).
A lot has changed since the last time the Knicks and Spurs matched up in the Finals. Here's a look back at what was going on in the sports and pop culture world.
LeBron dunks for the first time
Before he collected four NBA championships and became the NBA's all-time leading scorer, LeBron James had to overcome a hurdle -- dunking.
Then an eighth grader, James was playing in a teachers-versus-students game at Riedinger Middle School in Akron, Ohio.
"I got a fast break, and this was the first time I ever even tried it. I said, 'I'm going for it,' James recalled in 2011. "It was an unbelievable moment for myself when I realized I could dunk."
Averytin News NBA update.