The New York Knicks Are NBA Finals Bound-This Is What the World Was Like Back in 1999

The New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals! Jalen Brunson and company took down the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sweep to cap off a dominant postseason run thus far through the Eastern Conference.

In case you haven't heard, it's been a minute or two since the Big Apple was competing for basketball's top prize. What was the world like all the way back on June 16, 1999? Let's turn the clock back and find out.

The biggest movie in June 1999?

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was the top movie at the domestic box office when Game 1 of the 1999 NBA Finals began. The satirical spy series starring Mike Myers was quite the craze in the late '90s, and this film was the second of three. Austin Powers is a spoof of James Bond, along with some of Myers' favorite pop culture touchstones from his childhood.

What was the biggest TV show in June 1999?

The show with the highest Nielsen ratings in June 1999 was 60 Minutes, but interviews and non-fiction can be a little boring, right? Let's look at what sitcoms were running the airwaves when the Spurs defeated the Knicks.

Home Improvement, the family-friendly series starring Tim Allen that followed a goofy, but well-meaning, handyman, had just aired its final episode a couple of weeks prior to the NBA Finals. The Nanny on CBS also ended its long run just a week after the Finals started.

What was the biggest song in June 1999?

"If You Had My Love" by Jennifer Lopez was the top song on the Billboard charts on June 16, 1999. It was Lopez's debut single, and what a roaring success it was for her! Lopez was well on her way to becoming one of the most popular artists of the 2000s.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 4:04 AM.