Meet the NYC Artists Making Knicks Merch Fans…
They did it, people!
After 53 long years, the New York Knicks have finally been topped the 2026 NBA champions.
Although the beloved group wasn’t on their home turf for their championship-winning 94-90 recreation Saturday evening, artist Juan Orellana and his sister, Andrea, had been drawing crowds exterior Madison Square Garden hours before opening tip-off with hand-illustrated designs that regarded more like collectible prints than generic game-day merch.
And judging by the followers scrambling to get one before they disappeared, they could have been tougher to rating than a ticket inside the Garden during the nail-biting Finals run.
“I’m an artist, but I’m a Knicks fan first and foremost,” Orellana told The Post. “All of the merch you see is all hand-drawn by me. It’s not like any other merch out there.”
The Lower East Side native, who just lately moved back to New York after spending roughly 14 years in Southern California, has been posting his drawings, work and digital art work on Instagram since 2018.
Juan Orellana said he’s a Knicks fan first and an artist second, placing his love for the group above all else. Emmy Park for NY Post
His portfolio extends past basketball, that includes portraits of Nipsey Hussle, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, along with popular culture icons such as characters from “The Simpsons,” “Garfield” and “Super Mario Bros.”
For the Knicks’ historic playoff run, though, his consideration was fixed on the metropolis’s basketball heroes.
One cream-colored shirt options his illustrations of Knicks MVP Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges framed by subway automobiles and the Statue of Liberty — a love letter to both the group and New York itself.
Many of Orellana’s fashionable designs characteristic illustrations of beloved Knicks gamers, like this one of Karl-Anthony Towns. Emmy Park for NY Post
Another delicate blue-purple design reveals Brunson placing his signature three-finger celebration after draining a deep shot.
Every merchandise also comes with a customized tag bearing Orellana’s own hand-drawn brand and Instagram deal with — a element he says separates his work from the sea of unofficial merch exterior the enviornment.
“No disrespect to anyone else who’s selling merch out here, but nobody else has custom tags for each item like I do,” he said.
“It’s cool that everybody’s trying to hustle, but I’m a real artist putting art out there.”
Juan Orellana (R) creates each design by hand, while his sister Andrea (L) handles the printing. Marissa Matozzo/N.Y.Post
Orellana said his work stands aside from a lot of the unofficial merch that was bought exterior the Garden and throughout the 5 boroughs because every design begins with his own hand-drawn art work — moderately than a photograph pulled from the web or a copied graphic.
Before last Monday’s Finals recreation, the brother-and-sister duo set up store exterior MSG around 1 p.m. with their artsy shirts priced between $20 and $25, along with tank tops, $15 tote luggage and $20 waterproof sticker packs that includes Orellana’s unique illustrations.
By mid-afternoon, that they had already bought out of a number of t-shirt and tank top sizes.
“I don’t want to share how much I’ve made today, but I’ve been alright,” he said with a snort. “At the end of the day, I’m a Knicks fan first.”
He added that while promoting his artwork is rewarding, the precedence stays the same as everybody else gathered exterior the Garden.
“I want to stay out here until I sell out, but if I’m still here at the time of the game, I have to head home to see the game above all else,” Orellana said.
Beyond T-shirts, Orellana also creates tote luggage printed with his sketches — with Jalen Brunson rising as one of the most sought-after topics. Emmy Park for NY Post
For Orellana, this Finals run wasn’t just a likelihood to promote art work — it was his first time setting up exterior MSG, hoping to contribute his own piece to the metropolis’s latest basketball obsession.
“…Our main goal is just to show up for the Knicks,” he said. “People are liking my drawings and designs. I’ve sold items at smaller events, but nothing like this.”
And Orellana isn’t the only artist turning Knicks fandom into wearable artwork.
Another fan favourite, an airbrush artist Doms (real identify Sharif Jones), continuously units up exterior the customizable streetwear store Bakery HNY (1457 Amsterdam Ave.) in Harlem, where he creates Knicks-themed tank tops and shirts for clients.
Doms makes use of stencils that includes the Knicks brand before “airbrushing basketballs, the New York City skyline, brick walls,” and other Gotham-related designs around the group’s iconic emblem, as he told The Post.
Doms (real identify Sharif Jones) can often be discovered exterior Harlem’s Bakery HNY, where he airbrushes customized Knicks tank tops on the spot. Lone Pine Press for NY Post
“I’ve been an artist and a Knicks fan ever since I was a little kid,” Doms said. “I’m so proud to support the team and make custom shirts for fans. I’m from New York and I have to represent where I’m from.”
Depending on the design and degree of customization, Doms’ shirts start at $40.
During the Knicks’ profitable streak, Doms said demand has surged, prompting him to create between 30 and 40 shirts a day, with each customized piece taking about half-hour to full.
The Crown Heights native acquired his start “experimenting with graffiti before taking art more seriously” as a teenager in faculty.
Dom’s work has attracted the consideration of many followers who usually line up to snag his distinctive items. Lone Pine Press for NY Post
After transferring to Harlem in his early teenagers, he started honing the abilities he now makes use of to remodel plain T-shirts into one-of-a-kind keepsakes — a craft he’s “proud to share” in the neighborhood he calls home.
“I’ve been making custom shirts for years before I went viral, especially for birthdays and special occasions, but since the Knicks are doing so well, I’m getting so many requests for designs with their logo.”
Doms’ work has earned a devoted following on TikTok, where influencers have documented journeys to Harlem to rating one-of-a-kind Knicks gear.
In one latest video, creator Aïsha Farida explained that she and a pal had been looking for classic Knicks merch but saved coming across shirts on eBay priced at more than $300.
On social media, Doms has grow to be a vacation spot in his own proper, with influencers filming him airbrush his designs and carrying them after. Lone Pine Press for NY Post
After listening to about Dom on the platform, the pair headed to Harlem instead, where they commissioned his airbrushed tank tops that includes the Knicks brand and the NYC skyline in a vintage-inspired, Y2K aesthetic.
“They came out so good,” she said in the video before praising Doms’ expertise and abilities.
Another creator, @Milkmimi, shared a comparable expertise, filming the artist as he custom-made a tank top with her identify, “Mimi,” painted above the Knicks brand and a basketball.
She captioned the video, “Your sign to make your way to Harlem,” before including, “Airbrushing is still alive.”
Doms says he loves to create Knicks-themed shirts that also pay homage to Harlem. Lone Pine Press for NY Post
Viewers flooded the feedback part with reward for the artist’s work, with one writing, “That’s my boo, he’s so sweet and talented,” while another declared, “Doms the GOAT.”
The artist said he’s “so grateful” for the “sweet” response from his newfound followers and also praises Cheo Dadon, the proprietor of Bakery HNY, for “supporting and believing” in him, and encouraging him to make customized shirts exterior of his store.
Overall, from hand-drawn illustrations exterior the Knicks’ home stadium to customized airbrushed tanks in Harlem, New Yorkers aren’t just shopping for Knicks merch this postseason — they’re looking for items that really feel as distinctive as the group’s unbelievable run.
And with followers keen to line up, put on their purchases on the spot and even flip down provides to resell them minutes later, these artists have confirmed that in a metropolis obsessed with the Knicks, the hottest souvenirs aren’t coming from the group store at all.
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