Miles ‘Deuce’ McBride and the New York Knicks captured the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973, defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, 94-90.
The former West Virginia guard helped the Knicks win their third Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in a come-from-behind victory in San Antonio. Read more: Miles McBride captures first NBA title as Knicks defeat Spurs.
After winning his first NBA championship, McBride joins an elite group of former Mountaineers in just his fifth year in the league.
Joining a small, elite group
WVU basketball alumni have made their mark in the NBA Finals across generations. And while the list may be small, former Mountaineers have won NBA championships across all facets of the NBA landscape.
Jerry West
Arguably, the most notable player that McBride now joins with a ring is WVU legend Jerry West. The West Virginia native helped the Los Angeles Lakers win six of their 17 total championships. West also helped the Golden State Warriors win two championships as an executive board member/advisor.
Of those eight championships, West won one as a player when he led the Lakers to a title in the 1972 Finals. In that five-game series against the Knicks, West averaged 19.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. He led the Lakers in total assists.
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While that was the only ring West won as a player, he helped lead the Lakers to eight other NBA Finals appearances. He’s also the only player to earn the NBA Finals MVP on the losing team when he averaged an astounding 37.9 points per game in the 1969 Finals.
West also helped orchestrate six more championships as the general manager of the Lakers. With the Warriors, he helped guide the team towards two more championships in 2015 and 2017.
Jerome Anderson
Also hailing from West Virginia, Jerome Anderson played three years at WVU from 1973 to 197 before going on to enjoy a two-year career in the NBA.
Despite his short tenure, Anderson managed to win a championship with the Celtics in the 1976 NBA Finals. He appeared in one game across the six-game series against the Phoenix Suns, scoring two points and grabbing an offensive rebound.
At West Virginia, Anderson averaged double-figure points in each season. For his career, he averaged 12.6 points per game, as well as 6.4 rebounds per game.
He was later inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Jonnie West
The son of Jerry West, Jonnie West, played four seasons for WVU from 2007 to 2011. Notably, he was part of WVU’s historic Final Four run in the 2010 season.
After his WVU career, West followed in his dad’s footsteps and started working up the ranks in the NBA front office. Initially a scout for the Warriors, West eventually made the jump as a player’s programmer when the Warriors won the title in 2015.
Continuing to rise in the ranks, West eventually became the Director of Basketball Operations for the Warriors. Currently, he is the Senior Director of Pro Personnel with the Warriors.
During his time with Golden State, he has helped the franchise win four championships.
Joe Mazzulla
The current head coach of the Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzula, previously played at West Virginia from 2006 to 2011. Across 145 total games, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
After spending time coaching in the college ranks and the NBA G League, Mazzulla earned his first head coaching opportunity with the Celtics during the 2022-23 season. Immediately, the young head coach made his mark in the league.
In Mazzula’s first full year as a head coach, he led the Celtics to a win in the 2024 NBA Finals. After beating the Dallas Mavericks in just five games, Mazzula became the youngest head coach in NBA history to win a championship.
So far, he has amassed over 200 career wins and is coming off earning the NBA Coach of the Year award this past season.
McBride’s year in review
McBride had an extremely successful regular season as a consistent role player for the Knicks. He averaged 12.0 points, 2,4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game this season.
Not only was that a career high in points, also averaged a career high in minutes with 26.3 per game. McBride also shot 41.3% from behind the arc, which was also a career best.
McBride also scored 20 or more points in seven games across the regular season. His season high was 25 points, which he achieved on two separate occasions.
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In the postseason, McBride scored in seven of the Knicks’ 19 games, reaching double figures in four of them. His best performance came in Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, when he poured on 25 points in a win.
McBride has continued to improve each year in the league, with both his playing time and production increasing every season. He will enter the final year of his three-year contract in the 2026-27 season.
Time will tell what the rest of McBride’s career will look like in the NBA. However, for now, he can enjoy adding a championship ring to his collection of hardware.
