Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Off the court, Josh Hart’s cunning wit and willingness to make fun of his best friend and teammate, Jalen Brunson, usually steals the show. But when the Knicks’ engine sat down to speak to the press on Thursday afternoon, the talk was about his disfigured right ring finger.
Having dealt with this issue for quite some time, the veteran swingman underwent surgery in hopes of fixing it last offseason, then missed time during the Knicks’ championship campaign after reaggravating it.
Now, the finger is noticeably swollen at the joint, and the top is jutting toward the pinky rather than going straight. The options for dealing with it moving forward are quite limited: either get a joint replacement and retire, or wrap it up and play through it.
“The only option for my finger at this point, because of how damaged it is, is a full joint replacement,” Hart said. “A joint replacement, you can’t have the banging, the repetitive grabbing the rebound, palming it, catching the ball, shooting the ball. So if I get a joint replacement, I wouldn’t be able to play. So it’s either wrap it until I retire, [or] cut it off, that’s probably the only other option.
“I’ll probably do [a joint replacement] when I retire. Hopefully, they can make it straight.”
Hart wrapped the finger last season, which did take some getting used to — although he was also dealing with the residual effects of nerve damage, too. Still, he shot 50.8% from the field and a career-best 41.3% from three-point range.
“It took a while to get used to it, and now it’s just a regular, everyday thing,” Hart said. “Some days it’ll be good, some days it’ll hurt to catch the ball. It varies. I wish I could tell you when I wake up what’s gonna be good, what’s gonna be bad. Some days it’s good, like a regular functioning finger. Other days, it hurts to just close my hand, make a fist.”
“Josh is a handsome young man,” head coach Mike Brown added. “But that finger is ugly. So I don’t look at it. But it adds to his toughness. Josh is a tough son of a gun… I can’t even imagine having a finger like that. It just shows who he is.”
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