After 53 agonizing years of disappointment and waiting, the New York Knicks are finally celebrating an NBA championship. On Thursday night, blue and orange confetti rained over the city’s famous Canyon of Heroes on Broadway, while millions of fans flooded the streets, shutting down much of Midtown Manhattan and turning New York into one of the largest street parties the United States has seen in decades.
The celebration drew celebrities and team figures into the crowds. Director and longtime Knicks superfan Spike Lee was seen on a parade bus alongside Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, and said, “I have never been to a championship parade, and I am so happy my first parade is this one.” Brunson, raising the trophy toward the crowd, said, “It makes everything worth it. I have no words to describe the feeling.”
The festivities peaked at the official ceremony at City Hall, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had just been filmed dancing on the bus with Karl-Anthony Towns, handed the players the keys to the city. In his speech, Mamdani said, “While the Knicks kept winning, our city came together. Neighbors invited neighbors, strangers were high-fiving in the streets, bus drivers were dancing behind the wheel. So often this city comes together because of tragedy or disaster, what an insane gift it is to come together once for pure, unfiltered joy.”
Players kept the celebration going on the buses and into the crowd. José Alvarado shouted into the microphones, “We did it! We brought the trophy, now it’s time to celebrate!” Head coach Mike Brown joined fans and led a loud singalong to “Who Let the Dogs Out,” which became the unofficial anthem of the playoffs. OG Anunoby, who scored the historic winning basket in Game 4, ran into the crowd holding the NBA trophy in one hand and a bottle of Patrón tequila in the other, as the city stayed awake to mark the long-awaited title.
