![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-06-06T031925Z_632715263_MT1USATODAY29134908_RTRMADP_3_NBA-FINALS-NEW-YORK-KNICKS-AT-SAN-ANTONIO.jpeg\" "\\"Knicks'")
\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Off the court, Josh Hart\u2019s cunning wit and willingness to make fun of his best friend and teammate, Jalen Brunson, usually steals the show. But when the Knicks\u2019 engine sat down to speak to the press on Thursday afternoon, the talk was about his disfigured right ring finger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019 championship campaign after reaggravating it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only option for my finger at this point, because of how damaged it is, is a full joint replacement,\u201d Hart said. \u201cA joint replacement, you can\u2019t 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\u2019t be able to play. So it\u2019s either wrap it until I retire, [or] cut it off, that\u2019s probably the only other option.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll probably do [a joint replacement] when I retire. Hopefully, they can make it straight.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Hart wrapped the finger last season, which did take some getting used to \u2014 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%<\/a> from three-point range.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt took a while to get used to it, and now it\u2019s just a regular, everyday thing,\u201d Hart said. \u201cSome days it\u2019ll be good, some days it\u2019ll hurt to catch the ball. It varies. I wish I could tell you when I wake up what\u2019s gonna be good, what\u2019s gonna be bad. Some days it\u2019s good, like a regular functioning finger. Other days, it hurts to just close my hand, make a fist.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJosh is a handsome young man,\u201d head coach Mike Brown added. \u201cBut that finger is ugly. So I don\u2019t look at it. But it adds to his toughness. Josh is a tough son of a gun\u2026 I can\u2019t even imagine having a finger like that. It just shows who he is.\u201d<\/p>\n