Celebrate the Knicks’ NBA Championship with NBA Topps NOW®

Collect the 2025-26 NBA Champions

After 53 years of waiting, Knicks fans finally got a championship parade. The team’s 2026 NBA title not only delivered the franchise’s first championship since 1973, but also created a defining moment for one of basketball’s most passionate fanbases.

To capture the achievement, Topps has released a special NBA Topps NOW Championship Team Set featuring autographs, game-used memorabilia, and historic tributes spanning generations of Knicks basketball. RIPPED caught up with Topps Product Manager Matt Castoral to discuss the vision behind the set, its most ambitious cards, and the importance of preserving a championship that fans had waited more than half a century to celebrate.

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Ripped: When the Knicks won the championship, what was the vision for capturing that moment through a Topps NOW team set, and how quickly did planning begin?

Matt Castoral: Planning and designing for both a Knicks and Spurs set began as soon as San Antonio won Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.

For the Knicks, we wanted to capture the magnitude of the team’s first championship in more than half a century. We included nods to the 1973 title win with the /73 parallel and Brunson/Frazier 1/1 dual auto relic, but the 2026 team — and the 1/1 quintuple Starting 5 autograph — was our main focus when building the set.

The Brunson-Frazier dual autograph featuring hardwood relics from the 1973 and 2026 championship seasons bridges more than 50 years of Knicks history. How did that concept come together?

I’m proud to say that the dual court auto relic was my brainchild. I wanted to find a way to connect Jalen Brunson and Walt Frazier beyond their standing as the two greatest Knicks of all time, so I looked for ways to unite their championship seasons in a tangible way.

All credit to our Senior Memorabilia Acquisition Coordinator Dan Dyer and his many industry connections for securing the authentic court piece from the 1973 season. Without his work behind the scenes, a card like this wouldn’t have been possible.

With only 16 cards in the team set, every card carries extra significance. What was the process behind deciding which players, moments, and themes made the final checklist?

Every player on the roster, whether a fixture in all 82 games or a season-long reserve, contributed to this championship in some way, big or small. While their contributions may not have made it into the regular-season run of NBA Topps NOW releases, they more than deserved a place in this set.

For Knicks fans who have waited generations to celebrate another title, what do you think will resonate most when they see this set for the first time?

That after 53 years of falling short of championship glory, the 15 players in this set were the ones to finally bring the Knicks to the promised land. These players will always hold a special place in Knicks fans’ hearts.

The five-starter autograph card feels like a snapshot of an entire championship core. How important was it to create cards that celebrated the team achievement rather than focusing solely on individual stars?

This Knicks team was a case where it truly was a team effort to deliver this title. Jalen Brunson was outstanding throughout the Finals, but without OG Anunoby’s iconic Game 4 tip-in, Mikal Bridges’ huge Game 2 from the field, Karl-Anthony Towns’ enormous two-way impact in every game, and Josh Hart’s trademark tenacity from buzzer to buzzer, this could’ve been a totally different series.

2026 Championship Knicks FAQs

• What makes the Brunson–Frazier dual autograph card special?
  • It combines signatures from two iconic Knicks champions and incorporates hardwood relics representing both the 1973 and 2026 championship seasons.
• Why was memorabilia from 1973 included in the 2026 Knicks Championship Set?
  • The memorabilia creates a tangible connection between the Knicks’ two championship eras and highlights the franchise’s history.
• Why did Topps include the entire Knicks roster on NBA Topps NOW?
  • The design team wanted the set to reflect the collective effort required to win an NBA championship rather than focusing solely on star players.
• How large is the Topps NOW Knicks NBA Championship Team Set?
  • The set contains 16 cards, making each card selection significant within the overall checklist.

Key Facts

• Brand: NBA Topps NOW®
• Focus: Knicks NBA Championship Roster
• Insert Highlight: Relics and Autographs
• Audience: Knicks Fans, basketball card collectors

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