Archbishop of NY Receives Texas Goodie Basket Following NBA Wager
Following the NY Knicks’ NBA championship win, the Archbishop of San Antonio fulfilled a friendly wager made between the two archdioceses, sending Archbishop Ronald Hicks of NY a selection of Texas goods.
| 07 Jul 2026 | 02:21
After losing a friendly wager placed on the NBA finals, the Archbishop of San Antonio sent Archbishop, Ronald Hicks, head of the Catholic New York Archdioces, a goodie basket of Texas treats following the NY Knicks’ 4 games to 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals. (
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Gustavo García-Siller, archbishop of San Antonio, and Hicks had made the wager ahead of the start of the NBA Championship finals and rooted fervently for their teams throughout the series. (
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The Archbishop of NY took home the winnings of a friendly wager made with the Archbishop of San Antonio, TX, after the NY Knicks emerged victorious over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Championship.
The wager, made prior to the start of the championship final, included both archdioceses putting forward different gift baskets of local goodies to send to the winner. If the San Antonio Spurs had won the finals, Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York, was set to send a box of H&H bagels, cream cheese, and lox. But with the NY Knicks winning the finals 4-1, it was instead Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, who had to send his own goodie basket, consisting of Texas treats: BBQ sauces, cowboy cookies, trail mix, pecan coffee, ‘That Green Sauce,’ 1877 mineral water, and a candle.
After receiving the prize from San Antonio, Hicks took to X to post about the win, saying “Thank you to my friend Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller for sending me these goodies from San Antonio to complete our friendly wager. And thank you to the Knicks for the stunning victory!”
Prior to the championship win, the two Archbishops had met in-person to discuss the friendly wager. In an Instagram video, the Archbishops had noted that while “God does not have favorites,” they were both rooting for their hometown teams.
Following the win, the Archdiocese of NY shared a video of Madison Square Garden, illuminated in orange and blue, with the caption: “Alleluia!!!”
Throughout the finals, the two archbishops, who have been friends since serving together in the Archdiocese of Chicago, posted videos in support of their respective teams. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV, who had three players on the NY Knicks come from his alma mater Villanova University had praised the Lord for “the joy of playing as a team,” ahead of the NBA finals.
The Spurs has some heavenly rooting fans in the form of a group of Salesian nuns from San Antonio, who had become local favorites, often spotted wearing Spurs jerseys over their religious habits.
For this NBA Championship, however, it seemed luck and faith fell in the favor of the NY Knicks.