Pepsi celebrates New York’s reigning champs, the New York Knicks and their fans, with “Champions Deserve Pepsi”

Pepsi teams up with Knicks legend John Starks to introduce limited-edition championship can and ticket sweepstakes that gives Knicks fans a chance to see the team inside The Garden, as new fan billboards hit NYC streets.

• Pepsi is celebrating the New York Knicks’ historic championship and the fans who fueled the run with “Champions Deserve Pepsi,” a new campaign launching ahead of the 2026–27 season.

• Beginning October 5, limited-edition 16 oz PEPSI® x Knicks Championship cans, along with limited-edition 20 oz PEPSI® and PEPSI® Zero Sugar x Knicks bottles, will be available at participating retailers across the Tri-State region, with fans having the chance to win Knicks tickets.

• Knicks legend John Starks surprised select fans with an early look at the commemorative cans, with new billboards featuring real fan imagery from the Finals set to hit NYC streets around season tip-off at The Garden.

PEPSI® and the New York Knicks are tipping off the 2026–27 season with Champions Deserve Pepsi, a new campaign honoring the team’s historic title and the fans who were there every step of the way.

Starting today, the campaign will hit shelves across New York with limited-edition 16 oz PEPSI® x Knicks Championship cans and limited-edition 20 oz PEPSI® and PEPSI® Zero Sugar x Knicks bottles. Closer to the Knicks’ season tip-off at The Garden, new digital billboards featuring real fan imagery from the Finals will hit NYC streets.

At the center of Champions Deserve Pepsi is a limited-edition 16 oz PEPSI® x Knicks Championship can, available alongside limited-edition 20 oz PEPSI® and PEPSI® Zero Sugar x Knicks bottles at participating retailers across the Tri-State region. Fans can scan the QR code at point of sale for a chance to win Knicks tickets. In a nod to the 94–90 Game 5 victory that secured the 2026 Championship title, 94 fans will have a chance to visit The Garden, one for every winning point*, through an exclusive sweepstakes program.

“Once a Knick, always a Knick, but the real honor is being part of this fan base for life,” said John Starks, former New York Knicks shooting guard. “New York fans bring an energy you can’t find anywhere else, and they deserve to be at The Garden celebrating this team. I love that Pepsi is putting fans first and giving even more of them a chance to experience it for themselves.”

FROM OUTSIDE THE GARDEN TO INSIDE IT

Throughout the Finals, PEPSI® put New York’s Knicks fandom front and center with Knicks Fans Deserve Pepsi, a collector-can scavenger hunt across the five boroughs, and WE OUTSIDE, a real-time campaign which turned photos of Knicks fans from games 3 and 4 into billboards across New York.

Now, heading into the Knicks’ championship season, Champions Deserve Pepsi brings familiar faces back to NYC streets and select fans inside The Garden, where John Starks surprised them with an early look at the new commemorative championship cans.

“The fans have inspired this campaign from the beginning,” said Gustavo Reyna, VP of Marketing, PEPSI®. “Every step of the way, we’ve seen how they were showing up for the Knicks and found new ways to show up for them. Champions Deserve Pepsi is the next expression of that, celebrating an incredible championship and the New Yorkers who were there for it.”

As the official soft drink partner of Madison Square Garden, PEPSI® has been part of Knicks game days since 2018.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void Where Prohibited. Sweepstakes ends on 12/31/2026. US legal residents who are 18 years of age or older and are residents of NY, CT, NJ and residing within a 150-mile radius of Madison Square Garden, NY. Subject to official rules at pepsipromos.com/Knicks.