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Knicks' Jeremy Sochan during a game against the Detroit Pistons in February 2026

The Knicks beat the Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 to take the series 4-1, their first title since 1973. New York trailed 3-1 before winning three straight to close it out.

Most of the Spurs were not in a mood to celebrate anyone else’s night. One Knicks player found that out up close, and it happened to be a guy who used to call that locker room home.

Knicks’ Sochan Chases A Cold Shoulder

GettySpurs Ignore Knicks Player’s Gesture After NBA Finals Loss

Jeremy Sochan spent two seasons in San Antonio before getting waived in February and landing in New York soon after. When the final horn sounded on a 94-90 series-clinching win, he went looking for his old teammates.

In a clip shared by BrickCenter, Sochan jogged toward Carter Bryant and Lindy Waters, hand out, hoping for a shake or a dap on his way off the floor. They were not interested. Video shows him reaching as the pair kept moving, barely slowing down before vanishing into the tunnel without him.

It matched a pattern from the series. Wembanyama had already brushed past Sochan during Game 5 itself, ignoring him after Sochan tried chirping from the bench, an old rivalry from their Spurs days that clearly never cooled off.

For someone who shared a locker room with most of that group for two years, getting shut out on the biggest night of his new team’s season stung more than it would from a stranger. Sochan still walks away with a ring, guaranteed to him under league rules as part of the championship roster, but the snub became its own small story.

Spurs Walk Off Without Shaking Hands

GettySpurs’ Postgame Snub of Knicks Player Sparks Reactions After Finals Loss

Sochan was not alone in getting the cold shoulder. The whole Spurs team walked straight off the floor after the loss, skipping the handshake line with the Knicks entirely. Victor Wembanyama untucked his jersey and headed for the tunnel without pausing.

Clips spread fast, and even players outside the series noticed. Draymond Green reacted to the scene, saying simply, “Wow they didn’t shake their hands… that’s not good.”

Not every Spur followed that path. Luke Kornet and Harrison Barnes, the two championship winners on the roster, stayed out and shook hands with New York before heading in.

None of it took away from what the Knicks pulled off. New York closed out the series 4-1, capping a run that included a historic comeback from 29 points down in Game 4, and brought a championship back to the city for the first time since 1973.