Jamaican Roots, NBA Glory: How Caribbean DNA Powered The Knicks’ First Championship In 53 Years

By Felicia J. Persaud | News Americas Now

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Sun. June 14, 2026:The confetti had barely settled at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio when it became clear: the New York Knicks’ first championship since 1973 was, in no small part, a Caribbean American triumph.

June is Caribbean American Heritage Month – the one time each year our community is supposed to be acknowledged, celebrated, and counted. And yet the White House has gone silent. Corporate brands have looked away. But the NBA Finals told a different story entirely.
The team that brought New York its long-awaited championship was powered by men proudly connected to the Caribbean and its diaspora – men who carry island roots in their DNA even as official America fails to recognize the community they represent.

The Man With Jamaican Roots Who Brought a City to Its Knees‘

Jalen Brunson is not a household name in Kingston. But he should be. The Knicks’ superstar point guard – who was named NBA Finals MVP – has Jamaican heritage through his maternal grandparents, a connection that has not been lost on New York’s massive Jamaican community. According to 2020 U.S. Census data, more than 284,000 Jamaican residents call New York home, making it the largest Jamaican population in the United States.

Assistant Coach Rick Brunson, Jamaican-born Patrick Ewing, Jamaican roots Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks, pose for a photo with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images)

In Game 5 of the Finals, Brunson erupted for 45 points – his highest scoring performance of the entire 2026 postseason – to close out the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 and deliver the Knicks their first title since 1973. He averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds over the series. His father, Rick Brunson, was part of the Knicks team that reached the Finals back in 1999. More than two decades later, his son finished the job. Captain Clutch. Finals MVP. And a man with Jamaica in his blood.

Dominican Pride and a Promise to His Late Mother

Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks’ All-Star center, is Dominican American – and has never hidden it. Born in New Jersey to a Dominican mother, Jacqueline Cruz, Towns has consistently honored his Caribbean heritage throughout his career. He has represented the Dominican Republic in FIBA competition and is currently funding the construction of a youth basketball training facility in Santiago, Dominican Republic, dedicated to his late mother, who passed away from COVID-19 complications in 2020.

“Simply put, they gave my mother life,” Towns said of the Dominican Republic. “It’s only right I give them mine.”
Throughout the Knicks’ playoff run, Towns spoke openly about carrying his mother’s memory onto the court. After winning the championship, he made a special promise to the Dominican community – that the Larry O’Brien Trophy was coming to the island.

Grand Theft Alvarado: Puerto Rican Grit from Brooklyn to the Finals

José Alvarado’s story may be the most New York of them all. Born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents, the 28-year-old point guard went undrafted out of Georgia Tech before carving out an NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans. Traded to the Knicks this season, he became an instant folk hero — a lifelong Knicks fan suddenly playing for his hometown team in the Finals.

“I still hang out where I’m from,” Alvarado told Andscape. “I’m still around the people I was with when I was growing up. I’m sure I am the most New York person on this team.” Nicknamed ‘Grand Theft Alvarado’ for his signature steals, he has represented Puerto Rico in FIBA competition and was named the National Puerto Rican Day Parade’s Athlete of the Year in 2025. With this championship ring, he becomes only the third Puerto Rican player in NBA history to win an NBA title – joining Butch Lee (1980) and J.J. Barea (2011).

The Silence That Makes This Victory Even Louder

June is Caribbean American Heritage Month. Established by Congress in 2006, it is a moment to acknowledge the more than four million Caribbean Americans who contribute to this country’s economy, culture, politics, and yes – its sports. This year, as in too many before it, the White House has not issued a proclamation. Corporate brands — the same ones that flood social media with flags and slogans for other communities – have largely looked away. And yet on basketball’s biggest stage, the Caribbean showed up anyway.

This is why representation matters. This is why data matters. For 12 years, I led the CaribID campaign – a fight to get Caribbean Americans counted in the U.S. Census. We testified before the Census Bureau, petitioned the White House, pushed Congress, and faced critics who said we were ‘dividing’ Black America simply by insisting on being counted within it. In 2020, we won. Caribbean Americans can now write in their nationality on the Census form for the first time in American history.

Brunson, Towns, and Alvarado are playing for communities that this country has systematically undercounted, underfunded, and overlooked. Their success on the court is a reminder of what Caribbean Americans contribute – to this city, to this sport, and to this country.
We were invisible in the numbers that determined political power and federal resources. The NBA Finals made us impossible to ignore.

Stand Up and Be Counted

To every Caribbean American watching that confetti fall last night – this was for us too.
Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month. We show up. We perform. We win championships.
Now it’s time for America – and corporate America – to count us.
Read the full CaribID story: newsamericasnow.com/caribid/

Felicia J. Persaud is CEO of ICN Group and founder of News Americas Now, CARIBPR Wire, Invest Caribbean, and AI Capital Exchange. She founded the CaribID campaign in 2008 and led the 12-year fight to get Caribbean Americans counted in the U.S. Census — a battle won in 2020. Learn more at icngroup.vip