After Knicks Win 2026 NBA Championship on 6/13, Jewish Basketball Fans Notice Ties to Judaism

Shiryn Ghermezian

Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Photo: Geoff Burke-Pool Photo via Imagn Images

Jewish fans of the New York Knicks couldn’t help but notice that the team’s NBA championship win on Saturday, June 13 (6/13) shares the same number that holds a significance in Judaism.

The team’s final score in Game 5 of the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs was 94, and it has been 53 years since the Knicks won their last title. But 613 is the number that has ties to both Knicks history and Jewish tradition.

The Torah contains 613 commandments, known in Hebrew as mitzvot. At the same time, William “Red” Holzman, the Brooklyn-born former Jewish coach of the Knicks, finished his coaching career with 613 wins and led the franchise to their previous two championship games, in 1970 and 1973. A basketball Hall of Famer, he won the NBA title as both a player and coach.

In 1990, as a way to honor Holzman, the Knicks also retired the number 613. A jersey with the number hangs on the rafters inside Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks, in recognition of Holzman. Every other banner on the rafters represents a player, but the “613” banner signifies Holzman’s coaching achievements.

Social media users also noted that the Knicks won their third ever championship this Saturday on 6/13/26 and that adding the numbers 6,1,3,2 and 6 equals 18, which is the numerical value of “Chai,” the Hebrew word that means “life.” Meanwhile, 26 is the numerical value of God’s name in Hebrew, which is Hashem.

Jewish singer Matisyahu additionally pointed out on social media a tie between the day that the Knicks won the championship, the 13th of June, and the Torah portion read over the weekend, which was Shelach. The Torah portion talks about Moses mentioning for the first time the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy (known in Hebrew as “Middot shel Rachamim”), which have been known to bring salvation and forgiveness to the Jewish people throughout the generations, according to Chabad.org.

The team’s Jewish connections go even deeper.

Jewish artist Michael Doret created the official Knicks logo back in 1991, and Jewish rapper Jesse Itzler, a lifelong Knicks fan, wrote the New York Knicks anthem “Go NY Go” in 1993, as well as the NBA Emmy Award-winning theme song, “I Love This Game.” The current president of the Knicks is Leon Rose, who is Jewish. Moreover, several of the Knicks’ biggest celebrity fans are Jewish – including Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, and Michael Rapoport – and Knicks captain and MVP Jalen Brunson is married to a Jewish woman, Dr. Alison Marks Brunson.

The first ever New York Knicks team, in 1946, had six Jewish players on its roster. Some of the Knicks’ most famous Jewish players in the past include Amare Stoudemire – who signed with the Knicks in 2010 before going on to play professionally in Israel and converting to Judaism – and Ernie Grunfeld, an Olympic gold medalist who wore the Knicks number 18 jersey and later became the team’s general manager.

For Knicks forward OG Anunoby, who scored the game-winning point in Game 4 last week, the date of the championship win on Saturday holds a personal significance because it was also the seventh anniversary of his first NBA title, with the Toronto Raptors.

“It’s a great day — what’s it, June 13th?” he said at the post-game press conference. “Yeah, June 13th is an amazing day.”