“I’ve found a home in New York” says former Sidwell Friends standout

Sidwell’s Josh Hart ‘13, played a key role in New York Knicks’ 2026 NBA championship run that culminated last Saturday with a 94-90 Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. It was the Knicks’ first NBA championship in 53 years. An estimated 2 million New Yorkers and Knicks fans watched a parade up Broadway in Lower Manhattan on Thursday to honor the team. 

Known for his hustle and and for being one of the best if not the best “short” rebounders in the league—he stands 6’ 5”—Hart hauled down 9.8 rebounds per game against the Spurs, second only on the team to 7-foot center Karl-Anthony Towns, and averaged 4.6 assists per game, which tied him with series MVP Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks finals win capped an astonishing 15-1 record in the playoffs.

Hart, Brunson, and fellow Knick Mikal Bridges (10.4 points per game in the series) all played on the 2016 NCAA Championship Villanova Wildcats team, making them members of an elite group of players to win both titles. In his senior season at Villanova, Hart was named Big East Player of the Year and awarded the Julius Erving Award as the nation’s top small forward.

Hart was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft. He joined the Knicks in 2023.

At Sidwell, Hart played for two years, averaging 20.6 and 24.3 points per game in his junior and senior seasons. He was named First-Team All-Met in 2013.

“I’ve always said I want to be a winner, I want to win a championship at the highest level,” Hart said in his post-game press conference, with his young sons at his side. “I’ve found a home in New York and they’ve embraced me for the person that I am, the player I am. I try to put my heart out there and do whatever I can do to help my team win.”