‘Clutch’ orange bag of Knicks playoff run on view at the Guggenheim
Photo: Davia de Croix, Courtesy of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The lucky orange bag that followed the New York Knicks throughout their historic playoff run is now on view at the Guggenheim Museum. Designed and carried by Jordyn Woods, fiancée of Knicks star center Karl-Anthony Towns, the Tux Clutch Mini bag became a viral good luck charm during the team’s 13-game playoff winning streak and its Game 5 Finals-clinching victory. Woods even carried the bag during last week’s ticker-tape parade held by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The accessory is on display at the museum’s Café Rebay for five days only, through June 28.
“New York City means so much to Karl and me, so being able to lend a piece of history—and luck—back to the city is truly an honor,” Woods said.
“The Guggenheim is one of my favorite places, and I never imagined that something I designed would one day be on view at the museum,” she added. “So many of us are still in shock over the Knicks’ historic run, and seeing the bag at the Guggenheim somehow makes it all feel real.”
The bag is now synonymous with the Knicks’ first NBA Finals victory in 53 years. Notably, Woods brought it to every game during the team’s 13-game playoff winning streak, but it was absent from Game 3 of the Finals at Madison Square Garden because of a no-bag policy in place for the visit of President Donald Trump.
Following the Knicks’ record-breaking 29-point comeback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, a 107-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs that marked the largest comeback in Finals history, Towns posted a video on Instagram where he joked the “bag did its thing tonight” and that “we’ve got to put this in the Whitney or the Guggenheim.”
Now, his wish has come true. The bag, a Tux Clutch Mini from the Woods by Jordyn brand, has truly lived up to its “clutch” name.
“When I heard Karl-Anthony Towns say that maybe the lucky bag should come to the Guggenheim, I was thrilled,” Mariët Westermann, director and CEO, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, said. “People have always found meaning in objects that embody profound cultural moments, and they often go to great lengths to see them.”
She added, “That is one reason museums exist. Like art, basketball at the stratospheric level of the Knicks thrives on discipline, creativity, and teamwork—and on bringing people together.”
The presentation builds on the Guggenheim’s ongoing exploration of the connection between art, culture, and sports. At its 2025 Gala, the museum honored both the NBA and the NBPA alongside artist Rashid Johnson and highlighted the shared values of “discipline, innovation, and resilience that unite artists and athletes.”
The museum is further embracing New York’s summer of sports through the presentation of “Zidane, a 21st century portrait” (2006), a film portrait of French soccer star Zinédine Zidane by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno.
It is also hosting a pop-up World Cup activation at its Wright Restaurant, rebranded as “Frank’s Pub,” and livestreaming select soccer matches on Friday afternoons.
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