It’s been one hell of a week for the Knicks and their fans.
From winning their first championship in 53 years ago last Saturday, to the countless media appearances earlier this week, it’s been a multi-day celebration of the team, the players, and their incredible accomplishment. And on a very hyped up cloudy Thursday morning, all of culminated in a what may go down as the most passion-filled and memorable parade in the city’s history. But before we start turning the page on the memorable and historic
season and look ahead to the offseason, let’s quickly relive the glorious parade.
As I’m sure many of you saw, the streets were packed long before the parade even began. There were pictures and videos of fans lining up as early as 4:00am. And by 7:00am, the entirety of downtown Manhattan looked like pure pandemonium. Streets were packed to the brim as people lined up shoulder to shoulder in queues that reportedly weren’t moving at all. The NYPD, even in their great numbers, looked outnumbered and under resourced. And people were stuck underground in subway stations with nowhere to go.
At 7:28, the NYPD announced that the viewing pens were already full and that no more people would be allowed into the viewing area. So fans ended up climbing street signs, and lamp posts, and even found themselves on top of scaffolding. And when those spots quickly became occupied, supporters fled to adjacent streets just to get a taste of the insanity ready to unfold.
In true New Yorker, and Knicks fashion, the parade started late. Despite the scheduled 10:00am starting time, floats didn’t get going until a some time had passed. At around 10:10, the players finally started to arrive via busses and made their way to their respective floats. Karl-Anthony Towns made a few fans’ days by allowing them to touch the Eastern Conference Championship trophy. Rick Brunson carried the Larry O’Brien trophy. Mikal Bridges, as expected, was seen with his dog while wearing a Pacome Dadiet jersey, and Mitchell Robinson showed up in his truck as promised.
Some of the key players like Jalen Brunson, Towns, and Josh Hart had their own floats. They were accompanied by friends and family while Brunson’s float also had Spike Lee, and Mariska Hargitay. Other players rode with teammates. And many of the former players shared a float together. Carmelo Anthony, Larry Johnson, John Starks, Stephon Marbury, Steve Novak, and even Jerome “Junkyard Dog” Williams, among others, were seen together, while Waly “Clyde” Frazier and Patrick Ewing got their own cars, deservedly so.
Head coach Mike Brown was seen early on with a Knicks shirt that had a number 10 on the back with the word weeks under it, referencing the 10 week sacrifice James Dolan asked his team to make. Towns, who shared a float with Zohran Mamdani (also seen with Jordyn Woods’ lucky handbag) for parts of the parade, was seen dancing along to Knicks fan, Fat Joe’s “Lean Back” early on. Trey Jemison III was tasked with being the trophy bearer for the NBA Cup trophy. Ariel Hukporti, one of the main stars of the post-Finals press conference, took center stage as he interviewed MSG’s Alan Hahn. Hart lit a cigar, hopped of the float, and walked along the edge of the street to celebrate with the fans with DMX’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” blasting in the background.
All while that was going on, Tyler Kolek was involved in an unexpected turn of events. The second year guard was celebrating with the fans but when he tried to get back onto the float, he was stopped by security after being mistaken for being a fan.
Brunson, known as a stoic and quiet person publicly showed his lighter side all day. When interviewed by MSG’s Monica McNutt, he was seen singing, and even threw a slight jab during the City Hall portion of the ceremony (more on that later).
Landry Shamet, a known photography hobbyist, made sure to take plenty of pictures during the parade. Bridges brought along a vintage camcorder to record everything. Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson, were very obviously hyped up as they took turns addressing the crowd with mics, running up to them to high five them and shake hands.
Jeremy Sochan spent pretty much the entirety of the ceremony shirtless. And Deuce McBride was met with very loud and deep “Deeuuuuce” chants every step of the way. And what about OG Anunoby? Well, he celebrated exactly how everyone expected. Calmly, and quietly. New York’s playoff hero stood at the very front of his float with subtle waves to both sides, but never leaving the float or doing anything drastic.
As the floats slowly but surely made their way to City Hall, fans from all over the globe got to see just how unique this city is. Someone ordered Chick-fil-A during the parade, and actually got their food. A couple that had been engaged for 53 years tied the knot at the parade with the bride wearing a custom Knicks-themed dress. Fans threw around a Victor Wembanyama-dressed doll, and while others had signs of him. And (fake) Elmo even made a surprise appearance.
When the players and coaches finally reached City Hall, the presentation began with a passionate speech from the mayor. Mamdani perfectly encapsulated what it has meant to be a Knicks fan, just how hard the times have been, why this team perfectly personified the city, and much more. He shouted out recent former players Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and former coach, Tom Thibodeau. He brought back memories of Willis Reed, Bernard King, Ewing, Starks, Anthony, Jeremy Lin, and Nate Robinson . But even reached all the way back and pulled out names like Ronaldo Balkman, Mardy Collins, Langston Galloway, and recalled Toney Douglas’ at the time, franchise record-setting nine threes in one game.
The mayor then harped on how the city was brought together, not by force, but by “pure, unfiltered joy”. He then fired up the crowd by bringing up the 0.4% chance the Knicks had to complete the 29-point game four comeback against the Spurs and how it defined the ability of each player to do the unthinkable and stand up to the challenge, much like the very city it represents. “What is New York if not your back up against the wall? What is New York if not 99.6% of the world stacked against you? Who are New Yorkers if not people who hear those odds and smile? Who look at a 0.4% chance of success and ask, why are you giving me a head start? This is our city. This is our team. For 53 years, we watched. For 53 years we waited. Now, we’ve won.”
It was an inspiring speech to say the least that got fans emotional. It reminded them how difficult the task was, and just how impressive the task was. But it also was yet another chance to appreciate this team for all of the handwork, the sacrifice, and the incredible way in which they represented the city and the fans.
After a short, and rather odd speech from James Dolan, the star of the show, the captain of the team, and the MVP of the Finals took center stage.
After a loud round of cheers and applause, Brunson took it all in before thanking Dolan, and the front office for believing in him. He followed it up by thanking his teammates for believing in him, and then thanked the coaching staff and training staff. And before continuing with the rest of his speech, Brunson let out a very relatable, “Damn, New York we did it. We really did it.”
But maybe in the highlight of the entire parade, Brunson finally addressed the elephant in the room in his own way. He didn’t call any particular former WNBA players, reporters, or pundits out. Yet Brunson did have something to say about all of the doubters. “There’s a lot of people who have a lot of negative stuff to say.” Brunson said. “There’s a lot of people who have their own opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you don’t have to say (expletive) to them. Nah, they don’t deserve it.”
The historic and memorable celebration ended with Alicia Keyes performing a live rendition of “Empire State of Mind”. To some, the championship had felt surreal before today. To others, they’ve let it sink in since Saturday. Regardless of where you land on that spectrum though, today, despite the chaos and the unfortunately imperfect handling of the parade, was a fit celebration. It was a the ultimate toast. And a thank you to a team that truly was New York.
While I’m not sure how others felt exactly, I will say, there was a sense of bittersweetness. The players and fans will still likely celebrate for a while longer, as they should. After a 53 year wait, the celebration should be loud and long. But it also felt like the beginning of the end, at least for the 2025-26 season. The team may look different in a matter of a few months. And while this championship will be enough for many of the fans, next season brings on a new set of challenges and goals that will ultimately reawaken a lot of the same feelings of stress, anxiety and hunger. But for now, as the mayor, and the players have continued to say, enjoy it folks. Bask in the glory. Talk your trash. And enjoy every second of it.
