San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper thinks Jaÿ-Z put a hex on his team during the NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks back in June.
In a new cover story with GQ Hype, which was published on Monday (Sept. 28), San Antonio Spurs players Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle reflected on their 2026 NBA Finals loss against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in June. During the fifth and final game, Harper stayed focused and did everything he could to not notice the celebrities sitting courtside and the deafening crowd at MSG.
Harper initially ignored Jaÿ-Z at first, even though the hip-hop icon was sitting courtside, but the 20-year-old basketball star remembered Hov heckling him as the game went on.
“Come on!” Harper recalled him shouting. The moment Jaÿ threw up the Roc-A-Fella diamond hand sign in the air, Harper felt his team was doomed, as if the Roc Nation founder had put a hex on the Spurs.
“We started losing,” he said, adding, “S**t went downhill from there.”
And did. The Knicks edged out the Spurs in a 94-90 victory in Game 5 to secure their first NBA Championship title since 1970.
Basketball curses aside, Harper and Castle, also known as the “Slash Bros” by Spurs fans, have built a strong friendship during the off season that they feel will help them pursue another chip run next year.
“We lost to f**king four best friends,” Harper said, referring to the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges who played together at Villanova University. “I think being friends off the court makes you better,” Castle added. Harper agreed. “It makes everything flow better,” he said.
Watch the New York Knicks win their first NBA Championship in over 53 years below.
See Spurs’ Players Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle on the Cover of GQ Hype
Watch the Final Seconds of the Knicks Vs. Spurs Game 5 in the 2026 NBA Finals
