Even without a championship to celebrate, 2016 was another year to remember for the New York sports world. Emerging stars such as Gary Sanchez, Kristaps Porzingis and Jimmy Vesey injected new energy into the city, even as longtime veterans such as Henrik Lundqvist, David Wright and Jacoby Ellsbury battled performance and health issues.

Linsanity returned to New York, bypassing Manhattan this time for the work-in-progress Nets, while the Knicks planted a (Derrick) Rose in the Garden. Yoenis Cespedes made Mets fans’ dreams come true two times by signing to stay in Queens. Ryan Fitzpatrick turned Jets fans’ season into a nightmare when he became an interception machine after a prolonged contract standoff.

The lights may shine brightest on Broadway, where Phil Jackson spent big on his super-team, but the spotlight was drawn elsewhere by the crazy antics and even crazier play of Odell Beckham Jr. And for all of that, there may be no bigger circus on the horizon than the reinvention of Tim Tebow as a Mets prospect.

Here is a look at the players, teams and moments that mattered most in 2016:

Yankees

Sanchize: There were times in August and September that you watched Gary Sanchez make the big leagues look far too easy. So impressive was the 23-year-old catcher that he finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year race despite playing in 53 games. The final two months convinced the Yankees that Sanchez is the catcher of the future, and they dealt Brian McCann to the Astros in November. However, those who believe Sanchez is going to average 10 homers a month in a six-month season are delusional. He struggled at the plate across the final 10 games of the season, and Sanchez, with an above-average arm, also needs improvement blocking balls and lowering the number of balls he drops. If Sanchez hits .265 with 25 homers and 85 RBIs this coming season, he will be among the elite hitting catchers in the game.

True ace: When Masahiro Tanaka suffered a ligament tear in his right elbow in 2013, many started the clock toward Tommy John surgery. Someday they may be correct, but in 2016, Tanaka pitched like the ace the Yankees saw before the injury, even if his signature split-finger fastball didn’t have the teeth it once did. Tanaka went 14-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 31 starts and worked 199 ²/₃ innings.

Who’s to Judge? While Sanchez took your breath away, a blanket was needed to keep the late-summer, early-fall breeze off your body when the powerful 6-foot-7, 282-pound Aaron Judge swung and missed, which he did often. Hal Steinbrenner is convinced the 24-year-old with sick power will develop into a productive everyday right fielder, but outside of a solid Triple-A season and a strong start when promoted in mid-August, Judge’s lack of contact was alarming. In 27 games and 84 at-bats, the right-handed hitter whiffed an astounding 42 times. He batted .179 (15-for-84) with four homers and 10 RBIs.

Center of attention: When the Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year, $153 million deal before the 2014 season, they believed they would be getting an elite leadoff hitter. What they got in 2016 was a hitter who batted .263 with a .330 on-base percentage and was moved from the first to second in the lineup. After three years, it’s not a risk to assume the 33-year-old Ellsbury will be what he has been (.264 hitter as a Yankee) for the final four legs of the deal.

— George A. King III

Mets

Ces’ says yes (twice): As the calendar turned to 2016, the Mets had a glaring hole in their lineup. But that changed Jan. 22, when Yoenis Cespedes — who had received only lukewarm interest on the open market — agreed to a three-year contract with the Mets worth $75 million, with an opt-out after his first season. Cespedes was again the focal point of the Mets lineup, hitting 31 homers while battling soreness in his right quadriceps for much of the summer. In August, he was placed on the disabled list, but the Mets went 27-13 over the final six weeks, after his return, to clinch an NL wild-card berth (the Mets lost the game to the Giants). Cespedes exercised his opt-out clause following the season, but his departure was short-lived: On Nov. 29, he agreed to a new four-year contract worth $110 million with the Mets.

Banged-up aces: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz all underwent season-ending surgery after battling various ailments. The team’s biggest concern was Harvey, who pitched to a 4.86 ERA before he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and underwent surgery in July. The lefty Matz pitched with a significant bone spur in his elbow for most of the summer and finally was placed on the disabled list in late-August. Around the same time, deGrom began to struggle and it was learned the ulnar nerve in his right elbow needed to be relocated. With the starting rotation hurting, rookies Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman emerged to help carry the Mets into the postseason.

Wright still wrong: David Wright’s season was derailed early for a second straight year. The Mets captain, already battling spinal stenosis, was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his neck in early June and underwent season-ending surgery. Before his latest setback, Wright was respectable offensively (seven homers over the first two months), but his defense, especially throwing, was compromised. With Wright sidelined, the Mets signed Jose Reyes and installed him at third base. The former All-Star shortstop — who had been released by the Rockies following a suspension for violating MLB’s domestic abuse policy — was among the team’s bright spots over the final three months of the season. The 34-year-old Wright has spent the offseason rehabbing in Southern California and is expected back for spring training.

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Tebow time: After initially dismissing the idea he might sign Tim Tebow to a minor-league contract, general manager Sandy Alderson changed course and added the former Heisman Trophy winner to the organization. The 29-year-old Tebow, who had last played competitive baseball as a junior in high school, participated in the Mets’ instructional league and later the Arizona Fall League. He is expected to return for spring training, likely in minor league camp. Alderson cited Tebow’s background as a winning player as something that appealed to the organization.

— Mike Puma

Giants

So long, Tom: A third consecutive losing season and a fourth straight year missing out of the playoffs added up to the end of the Tom Coughlin era, after 12 seasons, two Super Bowl triumphs, countless meetings starting five minutes early and stark changes in the way the veteran coach related to his players. Coughlin exited the Giants with a record of 102-90 in the regular season and an 8-3 mark in the playoffs, clearly unhappy he was forced out and stating that he wanted to continue to coach, if he found a suitable place to do so.

The suit fits: When ownership entering the 2014 season wanted Coughlin to alter the look of his coaching staff, he found Ben McAdoo — a fairly nondescript offensive assistant with the Packers — and made him his offensive coordinator, a position McAdoo never before held in the NFL. When it came time for ownership to replace Coughlin, they stayed in-house and hired McAdoo, a 38-year-old from Homer City, Pa., who wore a comically oversized suit to his introductory press conference. The front office liked McAdoo because the belief was his youth would allow him to relate to the millennial generation. McAdoo said he would keep the clocks on Coughlin time — five minutes early.

Flash and fire: Odell Beckham Jr. continued his assault on the Giants and NFL record books as he further stamped his prowess as an almost unstoppable offensive force. He tried to temper his raging emotions in his third NFL season, with mixed results. The league levied hefty fines for unnecessary roughness and for unsportsmanlike conduct and even for wearing special cleats honoring the memory of Craig Sager. Beckham also was fined for “verbal abuse and excessive profanity’’ toward an official walking off the field in Pittsburgh and threw a tantrum on the sideline — he smacked the kicking net — during a loss to the Redskins. Beckham, though, regularly turned simple slant patterns into long touchdown jaunts.

Hitting the jackpot: Reversing a 2015 trend of losing late and close because of a dismal defense, the 2016 Giants specialized in closing out tight games with a rebuilt defense featuring nearly $200 million in free-agent spending on Olivier Vernon, Janoris “Jackrabbit’’ Jenkins and Damon Harrison, plus the ascension of Landon Collins into a Pro Bowl safety. The offense struggled all season and Eli Manning’s performance regressed, but McAdoo in his first year as head coach got the Giants back into the playoffs after a five-year absence.

— Paul Schwartz

Jets

Fitz-drama: There was one major offseason story for the Jets — re-signing Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets and Fitzpatrick engaged in a months-long standoff over what the veteran quarterback was worth. The Jets wanted to bring him back after his record-setting 2015 season, but at the right price. Fitzpatrick felt insulted by the Jets’ three-year, $24 million offer. On the night before training camp, Fitzpatrick and the Jets finally agreed to a one-year, $12 million compromise. The players and fans rejoiced … for a little while.

Hack attack: General manager Mike Maccagnan shocked the NFL by drafting Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg in the second round with the 51st pick overall. Hackenberg was viewed as a project by most of the league’s evaluators and a reach in the second round. For Maccagnan, the pick was another shot at finding a franchise quarterback. Hackenberg spent the year as the third- or fourth-string quarterback, not suiting up for any games until the finale against the Bills, when he will be one of two healthy quarterbacks left.

Six-patrick: The Jets season began its downward spiral in Week 3 against the Chiefs. Fitzpatrick threw six interceptions at Arrowhead Stadium and the Jets lost 24-3. Jets coach Todd Bowles let Fitzpatrick finish the game, a sign of how long a leash he would be given in the season. Eventually, Bowles started Geno Smith against the Ravens in Week 7. Smith tore his right ACL in the second quarter, though, and his season was over. Bowles gave Bryce Petty the nod in December to start a few games as a tryout for next year.

The curious case of Mo and Sheldon: Defensive line stars Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson had down years on the field and issues off of it. Wilkerson, who got an $86 million contract in July, did not look like himself after leg surgery. Richardson played out of position early in the year and registered just 1.5 sacks. Both players were benched against the Dolphins for being late to meetings. Richardson then had a social media snafu late in the season and ripped teammate Brandon Marshall. It was a year to forget for this duo.

— Brian Costello

Knicks

Welcome to the Rose Garden: In an attempt to make the Knicks relevant and top playoff contenders in the watered-down East while taking advantage of the end of Carmelo Anthony’s prime, Knicks president Phil Jackson executed late June’s blockbuster deal with the Bulls to acquire a desperately needed point guard in Derrick Rose. The risk-reward deal due to Rose’s past knee injuries and uncertainty of an October civil sexual assault trial has worked out well. Rose was cleared of wrongdoing in the trial, and despite missing much of training camp, he has regained his explosiveness in rocketing to the hoop at will for pretty buckets, averaging 17.1 points, 4.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds. As an added bonus, shooting guard Justin Holiday has proven more than a trade throw-in — a dependable bench player on both ends. Good move, Phil.

Horning in on a new coach: Though Kurt Rambis started as the favorite to have his interim label removed last spring, Jackson couldn’t sell it on a skeptical fan base, ownership or even a vocal Anthony. Even though Rambis would have stuck religiously to the triangle offense, Jackson kept an open mind and fell in love with former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek during a five-hour May meeting. A bitter Jazz rival against Jackson’s Bulls in two straight NBA Finals in the late 1990s, Hornacek shared similar philosophies with Jackson on system basketball. But their agreement to meld Hornacek’s speedball, space-the-floor attack with Jackson’s methodical triangle cut-and-read attack has been one-sided. Even in the halfcourt, the Knicks are doing lots of pick-and-rolls, lots of isolation and less true read-and-react triangle.

Phil’s summer spending spree: In total, the Knicks added 10 new faces to last season’s 32-50 squad, many of the additions coming through free-agent cap space. Rating the haul is a mixed bag. Their most expensive acquisition, former Bulls All-Star center Joakim Noah, has looked old — a $72 million bust in the making. Noah’s offensive flaws overshadow what’s left of his defensive game. The worst part is the pact lasts four years. But Jackson may have executed the steal of free agency in inking electric backup point guard Brandon Jennings on a one-year, $5 million deal. The $50 million signing of Courtney Lee looks decent, but the decision to re-sign injury-riddled Lance Thomas over Derrick Williams hasn’t panned out. However, the out-of-the-blue signing of popular Lithuianian small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas makes up for it.

Party on for Porzingis: Any fear of a sophomore jinx for the lovable Latvian big man has been allayed. Porzingis has made a significant jump this season after the 7-foot-3 power forward finished second in Rookie of the Year balloting. After strengthening his core, he’s tougher to knock off balance when he flies to the hole like a point guard and his 3-point shot is even truer in 2016-17. Averaging 20 points, 7.7 rebounds and shooting 40.3 percent from 3, all healthy jumps, he’s looking like he’ll be in New Orleans in February for his first All-Star Game.

— Marc Berman

Nets

Early housecleaning: The Nets got their drama started early in the year. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov fired head coach Lionel Hollins and demoted general manager Billy King in a complete housecleaning Jan. 10. Hollins was relieved of his head coaching duties after starting the 2015-16 season with a 10-27 record. King had been in his sixth season as GM, and was clearly well-liked by the Russian billionaire. But after the move for Deron Williams, King gambled on building the Nets around the point guard, dealing away buckets of draft picks for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace. We see how that’s worked out.

A (Spurs) tree grows in Brooklyn: The Nets started their reboot Feb. 18, when they hired Sean Marks as the new general manager. With San Antonio having become the league’s model franchise, it had become fashionable to hire branches of the Spurs tree. Marks won the 2005 NBA title with the Spurs as a player and another in 2014 as an assistant coach, sandwiched between a year as San Antonio’s director of basketball operations and GM of the D-League Austin Toros. The Nets gave him a four-year deal, banking on what he learned as assistant GM under mentor R.C. Buford.

Homeboy: Kenny Atkinson’s journey home came full-circle April 17, when the Long Island native and former Knicks assistant was named Brooklyn’s head coach thanks to his reputation for player development, vital for a rebuilding team devoid of draft picks. The St. Anthony’s grad had been the Knicks assistant who worked closest with Jeremy Lin during Linsanity. He went on to become Atlanta’s lead assistant. That’s where his connection with the Spurs tree came into play, his Hawks boss Mike Budenholzer having been an assistant in San Antonio.

Linsanity 2.0? Speaking of Lin, the Nets were in desperate need of a point guard after having bought out Jarrett Jack. After being linked with seemingly every lead guard with a pulse over the summer — foreign and domestic — they handed Lin a three-year, $36 million deal and brought him back to New York. After just five games, Lin strained his hamstring and missed 17 straight games over five weeks. He lasted just one game in his return cameo before being sidelined again with a bad back. Now back in the lineup, the Nets are hoping some much-needed stability will help.

— Brian Lewis

Rangers

Ten-four: The Blueshirts clinched their sixth straight playoff berth and 10th in the 11 years of the hard-cap era with a 4-2 victory in Columbus on April 3, the club’s 79th game of the season. The Rangers are one of just four teams to qualify for the tournament at least 10 times since the league reopened in 2005-06, joining Detroit (11 for 11), Pittsburgh (10) and San Jose (10).

Over and out: The 101-point Rangers crashed and burned in their first-round playoff matchup against the Penguins, going down in five to the squad they had eliminated each of the previous two years but which would capture the Cup this time. After splitting the opening two games in Pittsburgh (against third-string goaltender Jeff Zatkoff), the Rangers held a 1-0 lead late in the second period of Game 3 at the Garden. The Penguins outscored the Blueshirts 14-3 the rest of the way and sent the Rangers home without even a single round victory for the first time since 2011.

‘Unpresidented’ (or un-Kingly): Henrik Lundqvist, struggling from the outset of 2016-17 to find his customary upper-echelon consistency and performance, sat on the bench behind Antti Raanta for four straight games from Dec. 8-13, marking the first time in the King’s 12-year career that he had been a healthy understudy for more than three straight matches. Lundqvist returned from his enforced absence with three straight outstanding outings, but suffered a relapse in his final contest before Christmas recess, pulled early in the second period after allowing four goals on 13 shots in 24:55.

The Vesey sweeps: The Rangers, regarded as a dark horse in the field but identified early by The Post as a frontrunner in the race to sign prized collegiate free agent Jimmy Vesey, indeed got the 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner’s signature on the bottom line after a process including more than 20 initial applicants. Vesey, the Harvard grad originally selected by the Predators the third round of the 2012 draft, will come out of the Christmas break with 10 goals, third among rookies, trailing only blue-chippers Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews.

— Larry Brooks

Islanders

Garth & Jack: There needs to be big decisions made about the future of the franchise, which starts with general manager Garth Snow and coach Jack Capuano. In their first year of majority ownership, Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin have to appoint the people they think can lead the franchise in the direction of relevance.

Johnny’s call: July 1 will be a big date for many teams, but the opening of free agency also means the first day the Islanders can put a contract extension on the table for captain John Tavares. With his deal expiring after next season, the Isles have the advantage of offering an eighth year, likely starting at $10 million per.

— Brett Cyrgalis

Devils

Hall’s Time: In his first couple months as a Devil, Taylor Hall has proved to be worth his billing. The talented forward the Devils got in a blockbuster offseason trade has been terrific, but he’s now expected to lead his team out of the Metropolitan Division basement.

Shero and the Gang: Since Ray Shero took over the helm of the franchise from Lou Lamoriello, he has made drastic changes — and many of them good. But if he wants to make his team a postseason contender again, he needs to upgrade his defense big time.

— Brett Cyrgalis