NEED TO KNOW
A 2020 high school prediction about the Knicks is getting attention
Evan Pfeufer, 23, wrote in his yearbook that the team would win the NBA championship in 2026 in six games
Pfeufer recently posted about his prediction on social media
A New Yorker’s high school yearbook prediction from six years ago is getting renewed attention, thanks to the success of the New York Knicks.
In his 2020 Smithtown High School West yearbook, Evan Pfeufer, now 23, eschewed listing his accomplishments — such as awards he had received and clubs he was a part of during his four years at the school — and instead issued a lofty hunch, according to The Associated Press.
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“Knicks in 6. 2026 NBA Finals,” Pfeufer wrote alongside his senior photo from the school on Long Island.
Pfeufer, who now works in sales, recently shared his receipts by posting photos of his yearbook on social media — which have since garnered upwards of 130,000 likes.
This long-suffering Knicks fan said his rationale for including the prognostication may have had more to do with rhyming than any actual belief.

Karl-Anthony Towns (L) and Victor Wembanyama (R) during the NBA Finals on June 3, 2026
Credit: Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty
“I was at my good buddy’s house and I said, ‘Knicks, six, 2026,’ ” he told AP, adding that the team was “terrible” at the time. “It rhymed so well that I just figured, all right, I’m gonna put that there.”
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He added, “I could have said, ‘Knicks in 5, 2025,’ or ‘Knicks in 7, 2027,’ ” he added. “I guess I got the right year.”
And while Pfeufer’s quote is not yet prophecy — the Knicks are up 2-1 over the San Antonio Spurs and still have to win two games for the NBA championship — the fan is enjoying his newfound notoriety — and the fact that his parents are impressed.
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“I kept it just as the quote because I thought that if it happened, it would look way better than if I had a bunch of awards underneath,” he said.
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He told AP, “Now that it’s happening the way it is, they said for the first time in their lives, alright, you were right.”
Read the original article on People