The Knicks have their banner, and the bartenders who poured through the run now have a piece of the court.
Michelob ULTRA, the Official Beer Sponsor of the NBA and the New York Knicks, is marking the team’s first title in 53 years with a campaign for the bars and fans who watched it happen.
At the heart of the campaign are custom bottle openers from the official 2026 NBA Finals court.
To make things more special, Knicks legends Earl Monroe and John Wallace delivered them to New York City bartenders along with tickets for the upcoming season.
"It means everything to team up with Michelob ULTRA and celebrate those behind the bar," Wallace shared.
While these people don't get as much recognition, the Knicks legend believes they're an "integral part of everything that was going on in New York."
Ricardo Marques, SVP of Marketing for Michelob ULTRA, echoed these sentiments.
To him, the campaign "is about honoring the spirit of New York and a championship moment that will be remembered for generations."
A Piece of Basketball History
The efforts are marked by a new film titled "Raise One Up" produced by Wieden + Kennedy.
It retells the title run through gameplay highlights as ULTRA’s ribbon rises into the banner that will hang in the Madison Square Garden rafters.
It debuted on NBC during the Knicks’ opening game broadcast and runs across the brand’s social channels.
We took a piece of the @nyknicks championship court and turned it into something worth celebrating: The Knicks Championship Opener, a bottle opener crafted from the actual championship hardwood. To thank the NYC bartenders who kept the celebration pouring, we enlisted Knicks legends Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and John Wallace to hand-deliver these pieces of Knicks history.
— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) October 15, 2026
Out-of-home ads showing the new cans will also appear outside Madison Square Garden, at Penn Station, and in Times Square.
Fans get their own chance at the collectibles through Michelob ULTRA’s Superior Access platform.
Ahead of NBA Tip-Off, they can comment #ULTRACourtside #Sweepstakes on the brand’s Instagram post to win one of 2,026 limited-edition openers made from the Finals hardwood.
Limited-edition championship packaging is on shelves now in 25 oz cans and 16 oz aluminum bottles at select stores in the greater New York City area.
The packs carry the Knicks logo and the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and the brand’s red banner becomes the championship banner.
Record Finals Audience Backs the Push
A title tribute will only pay off if the audience is still paying attention.
The 2026 NBA Finals averaged 20.6 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, the most for a Finals in 28 years, according to the NBA.
The series also generated a record 15 billion social views, and Finals merchandise sales doubled the previous record.
This demand gives a bottle opener cut from the court real collector value.
Additionally, paying tribute to sports' unsung heroes is no new concept for the brand.
Its earlier "ULTRA Turnaround" work brought three 1994 World Cup stewards back to watch the match they missed.
These stewards worked the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™ pitchside with one rule: don’t turn around. Thirty-two years later, Michelob ULTRA is bringing them back with Superior Access. And finally changing that. The ULTRA Turnaround. Coming soon. https://t.co/G5TyNVTYSr
— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) June 29, 2026
The Knicks effort carries that people-first approach to bartenders, with Monroe and Wallace as the delivery crew.
Overall, putting everyday workhorses in the spotlight suits the brand voice Michelob ULTRA uses in its sports work.
Three moves keep a title campaign alive past the parade:
- Reward the people who helped push the moment: Bartenders worked every game day, so court-cut openers go to the group closest to the brand.
- Cap the collectible: A run of 2,026 openers tied to the championship year gives fans a clear reason to enter and share.
- Time the push to the banner raising: Packaging, film and billboards landing together keep the title story fresh into the new season.
A tribute that reaches bar staff earns local goodwill that not every campaign can pull off.
And choosing recipients who carried the moment keeps a thank-you from feeling like an ad.
Our Take: Where Does a Piece of the Court End Up?
A bottle opener cut from a championship floor sits within reach of every customer at the bar, and that placement is its real media value.
We think it's smart to create finals merch that's both novel and practical.
And with how often it will get used, every cap popped near it becomes another small reminder of the Knicks title.
We would like to see which bartenders mount it by the register and which treat it as a collectible, because that says more about reach than an impression count.
Does Michelob ULTRA ask those bars to show theirs off all season?
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