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Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel used their late-night shows on Monday to throw their own New York Knicks celebration parties to celebrate the team’s first NBA championship in 53 years.
nbc Tonight show He stole a lead over his rivals by securing the champion Knicks as a special guest on Monday’s episode, with the orange-clad athlete Fallon jokingly in his monologue, “Of course, they’re the Knicks so they won’t really show up until the second half.” It was a New York kind of night as Fallon revealed that the crowd was made up of big Knicks fans, and the musical guests were Staten Island legends Wu-Tang Clan. “It feels like Game 5 in San Antonio here!” Fallon commented as the crowd erupted in “Let’s go Knicks!” hymn.
Spike Lee, the Knicks’ No. 1 booster, joined Fallon on stage to introduce the Cup-winning team to the cheers of the home crowd. Fallon split the main interview segment into two parts, speaking to NBA Finals MVP and Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, starting with forward Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT) and coach Mike Brown first. Fallon began the first interview by reminding the audience that was the last time Bronson appeared on television Tonight showHe promised that if the Knicks won the championship he would bring the trophy to the show on his next visit. “He’s a man of his word,” Fallon said. Brunson admitted the win wasn’t settled yet, and both KAT and Brunson talked about what it was like to play at Madison Square Garden during Games 3 and 4 of the Finals and the noise and energy inside the arena as victory approached.
“When we get the fans involved and give them something to cheer about, it’s something special,” Catt said. Sports being superstitious, Fallon inevitably asked about KAT’s fiancée, Jordyn Woods, and her lucky “Tux Clutch Mini” bag on game day. Fallon also brought up WWE wrestler Danhausen who “didn’t curse” Knicks before the finals, and asked Bronson if he thought that’s what happened. “At first I was a little skeptical, but you have to believe it now,” Bronson joked.
In the second interview, Fallon spoke to Knicks small forward Josh Hart, guard Mikal Bridges and forward OG Anunoby, the latter of whom is now the greatest British basketball player of all time. Inevitably, Fallon began the segment with OG’s advice heard around the world that secured a historic, unexpected win in Game 4. “I saw a guy fly,” Bridges said of the “crazy play,” praising OG’s athleticism and ball control on the seemingly impossible shot. The second interview was more light-hearted and focused on OG’s stoic personality and Hart repeatedly unbuttoning Fallon’s sneakers during the actual Finals matches.
Tonight show It ended with an enthusiastic set from the Wu-Tang Clan, who Knicks fans will tell you didn’t really curse the team after Donald Trump’s visit for Game 3 and a horrific first half in Game 4 with the giant rap group performing at halftime during that game in the Garden that preceded that crazy comeback.
in Daily showStewart teased his audience that he would “focus the entire show today on how complex a new nuclear enrichment inspection regime would look like.” But to the delight of the audience, he was only joking.
The host, thrilled with the Knicks’ win, kicked off Monday’s show continuing his celebrations by recapping the colorful chaos that erupted throughout New York City on Saturday night.
“By the way, have you ever been sitting at home and watching this kind of footage and wondering to yourself, ‘Who are these people on the streets of New York losing their minds?’ Well, funny story. ‘The little guy sitting on that other guy’s shoulders, he works here,'” Stewart said, revealing that the man in the clip in question was Scott Herkman, one of Daily showbook.
Herkman then appeared on stage with Stewart. However, he was still sitting on someone’s shoulders, just like in the viral video of him partying in the streets of New York City on Saturday night. “I’m very superstitious, so I’ll stay here until next year’s finals,” Herkman joked.
Stewart continued, “It was a great night all over the city. Everyone was celebrating. They were in the streets. They were on the subway. We had drum lines. We had bagpipes. We had fireworks, and we had an MTA bus driver break it up.”
He then noted that Knicks’ win led to several “appearances by the entire NYU,” referring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“There was Spider-Man, and there was Spider-Man, and then of course there was Spider-Man, oh no, Spider-Man,” Stewart quipped. “Then there was Batman and of course back to Spider-Man.”
Later in the episode, the host also poked fun at himself when he posted a video on his social media over the weekend showing his cheerful reaction to the game results. He was spotted at an outdoor watch party with his friends and family.
“There was no place I’d rather be than on the streets of New York. Always the best guys who keep this city safe and clean for the rest of us to enjoy,” he joked before shouting.
On ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!Kimmel opened his Monday night monologue with “the best five-game NBA Finals series ever.” After talking about all the stabbings, injuries and arrests that followed Game 5 in the wake of the Knicks’ win, Kimmel joked, “People are worried Mayor Mamdani is going to destroy New York. No one would have thought he would be a Knicks fan.” Kimmel then played a video of Knicks fans getting a little rowdy, including destroying school buses and putting Elmo’s head on high. “You know you’re in a party mood when you set a school bus on fire, and no one has a problem at all!”
on Late nightSeth Meyers devoted the first half of his “Closer Look” segment to the Knicks winning the Finals. “I don’t know where you’re watching tonight, but wherever you are, I guarantee you it’s not as much fun as New York City right now,” Myers said. “No offense, but New York City is currently a cross between Mardi Gras, Coachella, and this rave Matrix. We got Knicks at 5, World Cup Fever, the Puerto Rican Day Parade, we got block parties, and watch parties. We even have guys balancing trash cans on their heads for some reason.
“It’s so pure here in New York City that you can go out on a walk in Brooklyn on any given night, and you can see Spike Lee being paraded through a rowdy crowd like he’s a basketball Santa Claus,” Myers added. The host then spent some time giving Lee some extra love for publicly sticking up for Knicks during essentially feast and famine.
“It all feels bigger than just exercise,” Myers said. “If you’re in New York City right now, whether you live here or you’re just visiting, you can hop on the F train and at any moment you’re surrounded by people wearing Knicks clothes or Brazil clothes, Morocco clothes or even Mets clothes. And if you’re from the outside and you don’t know what the Mets logo is, it’s the logo on the hats of sad people.”
