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Meet Jalen, Bridges, OG, Hart and KAT: Rescue puppies named after NY Knicks NBA Finals champions

Volunteers flew the puppies up from South Carolina Sunday afternoon along with a second litter of puppies.

Jenna Rae Gaertner

Jun 28, 2026, 11:24 PM

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Five puppies were rescued all the way from South Carolina by Ollie’s Angels Animal Rescue on the day the New York Knicks won the NBA Finals championship.

In the team’s honor, the puppies were named after the players. They are Jalen for point guard Jalen Brunson, Bridges for forward Mikal Bridges, OG for forward Oguga "O.G." Anunoby, Hart for shooting guard Josh Hart, and KAT for center Karl-Anthony Towns (K.A.T.).

“We said, ‘oh my God, there's five of them. We should do it [name them] after the Knicks.’..Knicks in five,” said Melissa Bielawski, the founder of Ollie’s Angles Animal Rescue.

Volunteers flew the puppies up from South Carolina Sunday afternoon along with a second litter of puppies. Foster families greeted them at the airport.

“Down south especially, it's in dire straits right now because people do not spay and neuter,” Bielawski said. “There are literal litter of puppies just running all around. We are asked to take far more than we can take because we need foster homes.”

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