They did it, folks!
After 53 long years, the New York Knicks have finally been crowned the 2026 NBA champions.
Although the beloved team wasn’t on their home turf for their championship-winning 94-90 game Saturday night, artist Juan Orellana and his sister, Andrea, were drawing crowds outside Madison Square Garden hours before opening tip-off with hand-illustrated designs that looked more like collectible prints than generic game-day merch.
And judging by the fans scrambling to get one before they disappeared, they may have been harder to score than a ticket inside the Garden during the nail-biting Finals run.
“I’m an artist, but I’m a Knicks fan first and foremost,” Orellana told The Post. “All of the merch you see is all hand-drawn by me. It’s not like any other merch out there.”
The Lower East Side native, who recently moved back to New York after spending roughly 14 years in Southern California, has been posting his drawings, paintings and digital artwork on Instagram since 2018.
His portfolio extends beyond basketball, featuring portraits of Nipsey Hussle, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, along with pop culture icons such as characters from “The Simpsons,” “Garfield” and “Super Mario Bros.”
For the Knicks’ historic playoff run, though, his attention was fixed on the city’s basketball heroes.
One cream-colored shirt features his illustrations of Knicks MVP Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges framed by subway cars and the Statue of Liberty — a love letter to both the team and New York itself.
Another soft blue-purple design shows Brunson striking his signature three-finger celebration after draining a deep shot.
Every item also comes with a custom tag bearing Orellana’s own hand-drawn logo and Instagram handle — a detail he says separates his work from the sea of unofficial merch outside the arena.
“No disrespect to anyone else who’s selling merch out here, but nobody else has custom tags for each item like I do,” he said.
“It’s cool that everybody’s trying to hustle, but I’m a real artist putting art out there.”
Orellana said his work stands apart from much of the unofficial merch that was sold outside the Garden and throughout the five boroughs because every design starts with his own hand-drawn artwork — rather than a photo pulled from the internet or a copied graphic.
Before last Monday’s Finals game, the brother-and-sister duo set up shop outside MSG around 1 p.m. with their artsy shirts priced between $20 and $25, along with tank tops, $15 tote bags and $20 waterproof sticker packs featuring Orellana’s original illustrations.
By mid-afternoon, they had already sold out of multiple t-shirt and tank top sizes.
“I don’t want to share how much I’ve made today, but I’ve been alright,” he said with a laugh. “At the end of the day, I’m a Knicks fan first.”
He added that while selling his art is rewarding, the priority remains the same as everyone else gathered outside the Garden.
“I want to stay out here until I sell out, but if I’m still here at the time of the game, I have to head home to see the game above all else,” Orellana said.
For Orellana, this Finals run wasn’t just a chance to sell artwork — it was his first time setting up outside MSG, hoping to contribute his own piece to the city’s latest basketball obsession.
“…Our main goal is just to show up for the Knicks,” he said. “People are liking my drawings and designs. I’ve sold items at smaller events, but nothing like this.”
And Orellana isn’t the only artist turning Knicks fandom into wearable art.
Another fan favorite, an airbrush artist Doms (real name Sharif Jones), frequently sets up outside the customizable streetwear store Bakery HNY (1457 Amsterdam Ave.) in Harlem, where he creates Knicks-themed tank tops and shirts for customers.
Doms uses stencils featuring the Knicks logo before “airbrushing basketballs, the New York City skyline, brick walls,” and other Gotham-related designs around the team’s iconic emblem, as he told The Post.
“I’ve been an artist and a Knicks fan ever since I was a little kid,” Doms said. “I’m so proud to support the team and make custom shirts for fans. I’m from New York and I have to represent where I’m from.”
Depending on the design and level of customization, Doms’ shirts start at $40.
During the Knicks’ winning streak, Doms said demand has surged, prompting him to create between 30 and 40 shirts a day, with each custom piece taking about 30 minutes to complete.
The Crown Heights native got his start “experimenting with graffiti before taking art more seriously” as a teenager in school.
After moving to Harlem in his early teens, he began honing the skills he now uses to transform plain T-shirts into one-of-a-kind keepsakes — a craft he’s “proud to share” in the neighborhood he calls home.
“I’ve been making custom shirts for years before I went viral, especially for birthdays and special occasions, but since the Knicks are doing so well, I’m getting so many requests for designs with their logo.”
Doms’ work has earned a devoted following on TikTok, where influencers have documented trips to Harlem to score one-of-a-kind Knicks gear.
In one recent video, creator Aïsha Farida explained that she and a friend were searching for vintage Knicks merch but kept coming across shirts on eBay priced at more than $300.
After hearing about Dom on the platform, the pair headed to Harlem instead, where they commissioned his airbrushed tank tops featuring the Knicks logo and the NYC skyline in a vintage-inspired, Y2K aesthetic.
“They came out so good,” she said in the video before praising Doms’ talent and skills.
Another creator, @Milkmimi, shared a similar experience, filming the artist as he customized a tank top with her name, “Mimi,” painted above the Knicks logo and a basketball.
She captioned the video, “Your sign to make your way to Harlem,” before adding, “Airbrushing is still alive.”
Viewers flooded the comments section with praise for the artist’s work, with one writing, “That’s my boo, he’s so sweet and talented,” while another declared, “Doms the GOAT.”
The artist said he’s “so grateful” for the “sweet” response from his newfound fans and also praises Cheo Dadon, the owner of Bakery HNY, for “supporting and believing” in him, and encouraging him to make custom shirts outside of his store.
Overall, from hand-drawn illustrations outside the Knicks’ home stadium to custom airbrushed tanks in Harlem, New Yorkers aren’t just buying Knicks merch this postseason — they’re hunting for pieces that feel as unique as the team’s improbable run.
And with fans willing to line up, wear their purchases on the spot and even turn down offers to resell them minutes later, these artists have proven that in a city obsessed with the Knicks, the hottest souvenirs aren’t coming from the team store at all.
Read the full article here
