The 2026 NBA Finals are set after a fantastic postseason. Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will face Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks, both a rematch of the 1999 Finals and the 2026 NBA Cup Championship. The Spurs took down the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to reach the Finals, while the Knicks dominated their way through the East.
This is a highly-anticipated Finals matchup, between the youngest team in the postseason led by arguably the most unique player in the history of the league and one of the NBA’s premier franchises looking to return to former glory. And regardless of the winner, an ongoing historic streak in the NBA will continue:
The NBA will have a different champion for the eighth straight season, extending the longest such streak in league history.
The NBA Finals begin Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30 PM ET on ABC. pic.twitter.com/YOe4ouiNht
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 31, 2026
The NBA used to be a league dominated by dynasties. It was the Boston Celtics in the 1960s, the Los Angeles Lakers and Celtics in the 1980s, the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, the Lakers in the 2000s and the Golden State Warriors in the 2010s. But it has been a completely different story this decade.
The Warriors won in 2018, their third in four years. Starting in 2019, eight unique teams have won it all. The Toronto Raptors — led by Kawhi Leonard — kicked off the streak. Then the LeBron James and Anthony Davis-led Lakers won in 2020. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks won in 2021 before Stephen Curry and the Warriors returned to glory in 2022. Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets claimed the title in 2023, followed by Jayson Tatum and the Celtics. Finally, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder made it seven straight unique champions.
Now, either the Knicks or the Spurs will be No. 8, continuing the era of unprecedented parity. In fact, the 2026 Thunder were the only champion in this group to even return to the Conference Finals the following year. No other team made it past the second round.
That’s just another reason why this NBA Finals figures to have significant intrigue. It begins Wednesday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m. PT on ABC.
Luka Doncic: winning championship with Lakers is most important thing
Luka Doncic is hoping to make sure that the Lakers are the team to break the streak of unique champions, and as rumors swirl of his hopes to own a European basketball team, he reiterated his only major goal is to win it all in L.A.
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