Knicks vs. Spurs: 2026 NBA Finals Set to Begin June 3 in San Antonio

The 2026 NBA Finals matchup is set: the New York Knicks will face the San Antonio Spurs, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio. The opener will air on ABC in the United States and stream on the ESPN app, according to NBA and ESPN.

The series brings a marquee head-to-head matchup between New York guard Jalen Brunson and San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama. Brunson was named Eastern Conference finals MVP, receiving the Larry Bird Trophy after leading the Knicks through the East. Wembanyama, the Spurs’ centerpiece, won the 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

New York reached the Finals by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. San Antonio earned its spot by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on May 30, according to The Associated Press.

For the Knicks, the breakthrough ends a long wait. This is New York’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, when the franchise last reached the championship round. For the Spurs, it is their first trip back since 2014. The pairing also revives a familiar Finals matchup: San Antonio and New York last met for the title in 1999.

That history gives this year’s series a clean bridge between eras. The Knicks return behind Brunson, who drove their conference title run and delivered the biggest postseason of his New York tenure. The Spurs arrive with Wembanyama as their defensive anchor and most recognizable star, the latest focal point for a franchise that has won five NBA championships — in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.

San Antonio will open the series at home after finishing off Oklahoma City in a winner-take-all game, a result that sent the Spurs back to the Finals for the first time in 12 years. After that victory, Wembanyama summed up the moment simply: “This feeling, I can’t explain it.”