The full story behind Jordyn Woods’ viral $125 orange bag that helped the Knicks win the NBA title

New York just ended a 53-year championship drought. The Knicks have their first NBA title since 1973. Karl-Anthony Towns has his ring. And somehow, a $125 orange clutch made by his fiancée is getting a significant chunk of the credit.

This is the full story of the most famous handbag in basketball history.

From a personal sample to the NBA's most famous accessory — the insane story of Jordyn Woods' lucky bag

Jordyn Woods made the bag herself, a sample she created ahead of the 2026 playoffs from her own brand, Woods by Jordyn. She wanted to wear something from her own label courtside and picked orange to match the Knicks.

The clutch, officially called the Tux Clutch Mini in Summer Citrus, started appearing courtside in April 2026 and officially launched on May 15, the same day the Boston Celtics beat the Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Not the best omen. But what happened next changed everything.

The 13-game winning streak

The Knicks went on a 13-game winning streak. Jordyn had the bag at every single game. Fans started tracking it. The orange clutch was present at every playoff game from Game 3 against the Hawks onwards, and New York didn't lose once. The internet did what the internet does. The bag became a talisman. A good luck charm. A full-blown superstition.

"I kept wearing it and they didn't lose," Jordyn told The Cut.

"The one time we lost was when I couldn't bring my bag into Madison Square Garden — it kind of created this hysteria."

Then Donald Trump showed up and ruined everything

For Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, President Trump attended at MSG, and his security detail triggered a no-bag policy at the arena. The orange clutch was banned from the building. Jordyn publicly told her followers she would try to get it inside through KAT. She failed. The bag stayed out.

The Knicks lost, snapping the 13-game winning streak. Knicks fans were not subtle about who they blamed.But Jordyn wasn't done. Her brand quickly announced a workaround, a pair of thong sandal heels with an ankle cuff in the same orange ostrich print, available for $225, so she could at least carry the spirit of the bag into the building on her feet. The shoes didn't quite have the same magic. The Knicks lost that game, too.

The bag, it seems, could not be replaced.

Games 4 and 5 — the bag comes back

Late in the month, Woods returned to her courtside seat with the lucky clutch in tow. The Knicks won Game 4. They won Game 5. New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 to clinch the 2026 NBA Championship. The bag was undefeated in the games it attended. Final record: flawless.

KAT's championship speech was basically a bag commercial

Carrying the Larry O'Brien Trophy around the arena after the win, Towns declared the clutch "one of the greatest clothing articles in the history of basketball" and told the entire city of New York, "I want everyone in New York to know that bag won the championship." The NBA amplified the clip on Instagram. It went everywhere.

On Good Morning America days later, Towns doubled down. "That bag is undoubtedly one of the greatest articles of clothing New York has ever seen. It's had a run, for sure, undefeated in the playoffs. Woods by Jordyn, for sure, got it done for us."

The bag sells out, the Mayor poses with it, and Jordyn retires it

The Tux Clutch Mini sold out before the confetti from the championship celebration had even dried. The brand was selling a few bags a minute at peak demand. Pre-orders are now shipping in September. At the championship parade, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani posed for a photo with the bag. Jordyn posted it to her Instagram.

And then, in true New York fashion, Jordyn announced the bag's retirement. "It has seen better days," she said on the TODAY show. "After the parade, I'm going to hang it in the rafters."

A $125 sample bag. Courtside since April. Undefeated in the playoffs. Retired with a championship. Not bad for a product that hadn't even officially launched when the run began.