The Knicks clinching their first championship since 1973 on Saturday brought joy to many, but one of their most recent acquisitions might’ve been the happiest of them all.
Following the Knicks’ Saturday Game 5 victory over the Spurs, 94-90, which sealed their first NBA championship win in 53 years, several clips of Jeremy Sochan celebrating went viral.
One clip showed Sochan, while shirtless, nearly toppling over after trying to climb the giant Larry O’Brien trophy on the floor at the Frost Bank Center, all while his teammate Jalen Brunson was recording an interview with Craig Melvin.
When a shirtless Sochan first tried to climb the display, it began wheeling away, almost sending him to the floor and igniting gasps from the surrounding crowd.
Sochan then successfully climbed the display and posed for a camera before realizing that Brunson was in the middle of an interview.
Sochan then greeted a laughing Brunson and cheered him on for the rest of the interview.
Another clip showed Sochan, still shirtless, and his teammates dancing in the locker room after the game. The camera pans to Sochan eating steak right off the bone.
The party didn’t end on Saturday night. Upon returning to New York on Sunday, Sochan posted a series of stories on his Instagram in the car, still shirtless and wearing his NBA Champions hat and goggles. In one clip, Sochan sticks his head out the window and lost his goggles while not wearing a shirt.
Sochan had limited playing time in the Finals, only on court for the first three minutes of the first half in Game 4 and briefly entering Game 5.
Sochan was guaranteed a ring regardless of who won the Finals, since he was waived by the Spurs in February before inking a one-year contract with the Knicks shortly after.