The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time since 1973, overcoming another deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 at the Frost Bank Center.
And it was Jalen Brunson who cemented his legacy with his 45-point performance on Saturday night, closing out the series 4-1 and ending the longest championship drought in franchise history.
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While reveling in his newly minted Finals MVP status, Brunson also took a moment to address a completely different demographic: Taylor Swift fans.
Jalen Brunson Addresses Taylor Swift Fans After Leading the Knicks to NBA Glory
Game 5 was another tale of two halves, as the Knicks had another come-from-behind victory against a San Antonio side that just cannot hold on to leads. Brunson carried the offense whenever the Knicks struggled in Game 5, erupting for 15 points in the fourth quarter en route to a dominant closeout performance.
Brunson’s 45 points broke the franchise record for most points in a Finals game, surpassing the 38 scored by the late Willis Reed against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1970.
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Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, the other members of the “Nova Knicks” trio who won the 2016 NCAA title together at Villanova, chipped in with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
SEE ALSO: WATCH: Knicks Star Jalen Brunson Breaks Down in Tears After Ending New York’s 53-Year Championship Drought
However, amid the championship celebrations, Brunson dug up an unexpected pop-culture storyline specifically aimed at “Swifties.”
Looking to cool the tensions around radio announcer Monica McNutt and the recent drama, Brunson said, “I just want to say something to the Swifties. She’s [McNutt] a really good one. Cut her some slack. It’s all good. I promise.”
The message was a direct response to a viral incident from Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
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During that broadcast, McNutt was caught on a hot mic noticing Swift in the celebrity row and remarking, “Is that Taylor Swift? She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl.”
The moment drew “swift backlash,” as fans flooded social media to point out Swift’s documented history with the Knicks.
McNutt subsequently apologized, admitting that she was not aware that Swift was a long-time supporter of the Knicks.
MORE: ‘Team of Destiny’ — NBA World Erupts As Knicks End 53-Year Championship Drought With Game 5 Win vs. Spurs
Meanwhile, for the Spurs, it was a routine collapse that the fans had unfortunately grown used to. After surging ahead to a double-digit lead, San Antonio ran out of breath trying to maintain that momentum.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at the White House on Sunday is in some ways a birthday present for President Trump, who will celebrate turning 80 by cheering on the fighters inside the specially constructed Claw on the South Lawn.
One V.I.P. guest at the fight will be celebrating, too: David Ellison, the technology heir and Paramount Skydance chief executive who on Friday received a gift of sorts from the Trump administration.
After months of meticulous courtship of the president and his senior aides, Paramount got word on Friday that the Justice Department would not challenge its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, eliminating one of the last major obstacles for the deal to close.
Mr. Ellison also controls the exclusive broadcast rights to the U.F.C., one of Mr. Trump’s favorite sports, after he paid a whopping $7.7 billion last year for the privilege. Americans hoping to watch the event at 8 p.m. Sunday at the White House — which consists of seven marquee fights — will need a subscription to Paramount+, the Ellison-owned streaming platform.
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“Love & Hip Hop: Miami” star Michael Blackson settled up with his close friend and baby mama Nadia Beddini and agreed to pay her thousands per month in child support … TMZ has learned.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Michael will pony up $4,500 per month in support for their nearly 1-year-old son, Kweku, and pay Nadia $5K for her lawyer fees for the case.
This is a custody settlement … meaning Michael and Nadia agreed on all the terms, and the judge signed off on the deal.
The pair agreed to joint legal and physical custody, meaning the kid will spend time with each parent and they’ll share in the decision-making responsibility regarding all major issues involving the health, education, and welfare of their little one.
Interestingly, the docs say Michael can’t take Kweku outside the United States without written approval from Nadia, but Nadia can head out of the country as long as she gives him written notice and an itinerary. The pair have previously flown to Ghana to introduce Kweku to Michael’s family.
As we told you … Kweku was born within 2 months of Michael’s son with his ex-fiancée, Rada Darling.
Nadia told TMZ she and Michael had been friends for years before they started hooking up, and she said the pair planned on having a baby together. She also told us Rada was well aware of their relationship.
However, Rada told us a different story … saying she always knew there were other women in Michael’s life but didn’t know the extent of his relationship with Nadia until her pregnancy was revealed while filming “Love & Hip Hop.”
Still, she tells us she hopes her son with Michael, Michael Jr., and Kweku will grow up together … and with this joint custody agreement, it appears there’s a solid chance of that panning out!

Once frequent collaborators, Seth Rogen doesn’t see an onscreen reunion with James Franco in his future.
The 2x Golden Globe winner recently said he hasn’t spoken to Franco “in a long time” and has “no plans” to work with the actor, who has been mounting an onscreen comeback after he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women in 2018.
“I’m trying to think how much I want to personally share about this,” he prefaced to The New York Times. “I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now. It is a very personal thing. There’s the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had, and I think the proof is in the pudding — I have not worked with him in years.”
Rogen continued, “But the personal side of it is just so nuanced, and it involves people that I don’t know if I should be dragging into this. I don’t know what I would benefit from getting deeply into it. Nothing has changed since the last time I talked about all this, and I haven’t worked with him in a really long time and I have no plans to.”
After making their onscreen debuts together in NBC’s Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000), Rogen and Franco went on to star alongside each other in films like Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013), The Interview (2014) and The Disaster Artist (2017).
Franco previously said his and Rogen’s friendship was seemingly “over” after they hadn’t spoken in a while. “No. I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me,” he told Variety in 2024.
In 2018, multiple women accused Franco of inappropriate sexual behavior. More accusations would become public, including one that he eventually settled, where the actor was accused of intimidating students into gratuitous and exploitative sexual situations.

NEW YORK – If you’re hoping for a Bruce Springsteen presidential ticket in 2028, don’t hold your breath.
Speaking during a panel June 13 at Tribeca Festival, where Springsteen was honored with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award, the famously outspoken rock icon dismissed any notion that he might one day run for political office.
The suggestion came mid-conversation with Bono, who admitted that he sometimes fears that people on the left are losing touch with the working class. The U2 frontman asked Springsteen whether he fears that he’s alienated any of his fan base with his political stance.
“I don’t know,” Springsteen said. “There’s the classic, ‘Well, which side are you on?’ You do have to make your stand and follow your beliefs, and have faith that they will be understandable by your fellow citizens. You have to believe that America is an argument and that finding some sort of common ground is possible. The leaders, at the moment, I’m not sure I see anybody who has the capacity to come out and speak to all the people …”
“You!” someone yelled from the audience, earning thunderous applause throughout the theater.
“No,” Springsteen said with a smile and a shrug. “At best, I’m a concerned citizen. I sing my songs and wish for the best.”
Bruce Springsteen dedicates social justice award to anti-ICE protesters
Throughout the roughly half-hour conversation, Springsteen and Bono spoke about using their platforms for change.
Right now, “I’m pissed off and angry, but in the past 50 years, I’ve put together a band that was built for hard times like these,” Springsteen said. “I put together a big body of work that was built for hard times, and I was always singing for the moment.”
The 20-time Grammy winner also said he has faith that America will make it through this current divisive era.
People must recognize “each other’s common humanity and dignity,” Springsteen said. “That is in short supply at the moment from, obviously, the top of our administration on down.”
Late last month, Springsteen wrapped his Land of Hope & Dreams American tour. Earlier this year, he released protest track “Streets of Minneapolis” in response to the U.S. immigration crackdowns by federal officials that turned violent. Onstage at Tribeca, Springsteen dedicated his Voices for Social Justice Award to protesters across the nation. (The Trump administration has defended its actions in Minneapolis.)
“Thank you for this,” Springsteen said. “I really want to accept this for all the citizens of Minneapolis and Los Angeles and Portland, who stood against the federal invasion of their cities. I’ll take this and keep this in their name.”
Robert De Niro blasts ‘Trump and his feckless enablers’ at Tribeca Festival
At the end of the ceremony, Patti Smith came out to perform “Peaceable Kingdom” and “People Have the Power,” the latter of which featured backup from Springsteen, Bono and Smith’s bandmate Tony Shanahan. Springsteen then took the stage for a solo, acoustic rendition of his song “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which he dedicated to his wife, Patti Scialfa.
Springsteen ended the event with a simple “God bless America, and go Knicks,” and overall, kept his jabs at President Donald Trump to a minimum. Robert De Niro, who was on hand to introduce Springsteen, predictably took many digs at the commander in chief.
“No one insults Trump better than Bob,” Springsteen joked, garnering cheers and laughter from the crowd.
De Niro and Trump have had a long-running feud. USA TODAY reached out to the White House for comment; in the past the president has posted on Truth Social that the Oscar-winning actor has “an extremely low IQ, who has absolutely no idea what he is doing or saying.”
In his introduction at Tribeca, De Niro praised Springsteen for his ability to “move people with the music he creates” and “give voice to the powerless.”
“He uses it to lead the resistance,” De Niro said. “He knows what the problem is and he names it: Donald J. Trump and his feckless enablers. That’s so important, because this isn’t about reasonable disputes on policy. This is about the corruption and megalomania of one person. Bruce Springsteen puts a face on it, and he does it with the words of a poet.
“Our democracy, our constitution, our rule of law are being challenged right now as never before by a reckless, racist, incompetent, treasonous president,” De Niro said. “So tonight, we ask all of you to join with us in choosing hope over fear; democracy over authoritarianism; the rule of law over lawlessness; ethics over unbridled corruption; resistance over complacency; truth over lies; unity over division; and peace over war.”