The 2026 NBA Finals will begin on Wednesday night at the Frost Bank Center as the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks get set to do battle. The Spurs finished off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a grueling seven games while the Knicks took care of business with the Cleveland Cavaliers rather quickly in a sweep.
This is a rematch of the 1999 finals–the last time the Knicks made it this far–and both teams will look to end some title droughts. The Spurs last won the title in 2014 while the Knicks haven’t won since way back in 1973.
The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Knicks in Round 2 as New York finished them off in a sweep, so their title drought will continue, but there are a number of former Sixers in these finals. Here is a look at each Sixers link on both sides:
New York Knicks
- Landry Shamet – selected by the Sixers with the No. 26 pick in the 2018 draft and played 54 games in Philadelphia before being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers at the deadline in the Tobias Harris deal
- Knicks assistant coach Mo Cheeks – Sixers legend who was the point guard on Philadelphia’s last title team in 1983. He spent 11 years with the Sixers and averaged 12.2 points and 7.3 assists with his number hanging from the rafters.
San Antonio Spurs
- Julian Champagnie – played two games for the Sixers in the 2022-23 season before being waived in favor of Mac McClung. He was picked up by the Spurs rather quickly and has been a key cog of their success.
- Spurs assistant coach Corliss Williamson – acquired from the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 offseason. He played 48 games for Philadelphia, averaging 10.8 points and 3.7 rebounds before being sent to the Sacramento Kings in the Chris Webber deal.
- David Jones Garcia – signed a two-way deal with the Sixers after going undrafted in 2024. He was waived before the season began and caught on in San Antonio.
Game 1 of the 2026 NBA finals is set for 8:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Every Sixers link to Spurs, Knicks as NBA Finals get set to begin