Tyler Kolek may not be a household name among NBA players like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby right now, but he played his part in the New York Knicks winning an NBA title and deserves his props. If only the NYPD agreed.
Kolek did not ride the float with the rest of the Knicks stars on the way to city hall during today's championship parade. He walked the streets, giving high fives to fans and rallying the crowd.
Unfortunately, at one barrier he stepped in front of a few officers that apparently thought he was simply a fan who had gone over the barrier. It took several members of the Knicks staff explaining to them that he was good to go for Kolek to avoid being detained or possibly even having the bracelets slapped on.
To his credit, Kolek took the whole thing in stride. Taking to X later, he joked "I swear I'm on the team bro."
But Kolek got to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy along with all of the other members of his team. While he may not have touched the ball in the NBA Finals, his presence was felt during the Knicks' path to getting it.
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Tyler Kolek's 2025-26 Run
Kolek joined the Knicks in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers on draft night in 2024. As a rookie he appeared in 41 games and averaged 2.0 points and 1.7 assists per game along with 7.2 minutes played per night.
During the 2025-26 season, he really came into his own as an option off the bench. Kolek appeared in 62 games this past season, including his first-ever start in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. And while he only had five games where he contributed at least 10 points, two of those performances came in crucial regular season wins over the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kolek went on to appear in eight of the Knicks' 19 postseason games, scoring 28 points - mostly at points in the games where the Knicks had already clinched the win - and spending 53 minutes on the court.
He may not be Jalen Brunson, but he did his duty when he was called upon.
