Thousands of Knicks fans – decked out in blue and orange jerseys, shorts, hats, necklaces and more – gathered in downtown New York City on Thursday to celebrate the team’s NBA Championship in a lively ticker-tape parade.
All along Church Street, the street running parallel to the parade route, fans lit joints, threw back shots of Fireball whiskey and drank Coronas, within view of bemused and outnumbered New York City police officers. Some fans climbed atop police cruisers and posed for photos.
“We can do that?” one passerby asked, laughing. “Is this not illegal today?”
“I’m just glad to be a part of this fucking victory,” one of the men atop the police cruiser told the Guardian. “I’m glad to be a part of history!”
Wesley Chow, 27, from Astoria, Queens, first became a Knicks fan in 2012 during “Linsanity”, when Asian American player Jeremy Lin became a Knicks fan favorite.
“Seeing someone that looked like me play in the league was hella inspiring,” said Chow, who was among the thousands gathered outside the gates hoping to steal even a distant glance of the Knicks players as they moved down a route that was one block away.
Chow added: “The people out here right now, you got people from all backgrounds, all neighborhoods, all to celebrate one thing. It’s crazy.”
The viewing areas for the parade were at capacity as early as 7:25am, per the NYPD, who blocked off access to Broadway. The parade, which kicked off several hours later at 10am, saw people marching from Battery Park to City Hall.
Zohran Mamdani – the mayor, who rightfully predicted this would be one of the biggest parades the city’s ever seen – was seen dancing on a float in the parade alongside the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns’ teammate OG Anunoby was in the crowds talking to fans, holding both the NBA Cup in-season championship trophy and a bottle of tequila. Knicks alumni Carmelo Anthony danced on a float nearby. Longtime celebrity Knicks fans Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Timothée Chalamet were also in attendance.
Children climbed atop cars to chant “fuck you, Wemby!” – a reference to San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama. Vendors sold T-shirts out of carts and suitcases, emblazoned with phrases like “CHAMPIONS” and “King Brunson” and “suck my Knick!”
A fan named Alan told the Guardian he came back to New York for the first time in nearly three years to be a part of the crowd. He carried a Polaroid camera and offered people photos for a few dollars each, mostly photographing moms with their sons and dads with their daughters.
“I just wanted to give them a memory of the day,” he said.
Another fan named Erica walked along Church Street with her young son, Milan. Originally from Italy, she’s been a casual Knicks fan for 20 years, but fell in love with the team after watching how happy they made her son. She said the Knicks had brought out the best in New York.
“Everybody is happy for one cause and we need that,” she said.
John Rivera was born and raised in New York, and was 13 when the Knicks last won the championship in 1973. They clinched the finals series this time on his 69th birthday.
“I was there for the Ewing era, when they kept losing against the Bulls, I was there in 99 when I thought they were gonna win it, I was there through it all. I always kept the faith though,” he said.
Rivera worked for NYC transit authority doing subway maintenance for 30 years before retiring to Florida. He flew back to New York this week for a funeral – for a friend he played stickball with growing up – and for the Puerto Rican Day parade in the Bronx. Being among Knicks fans on Thursday morning reminded him of how much he loved this city.
“It makes me feel wanted, it makes me feel like a part of the city again,” he said.
Barbara Etheredge, 33, from Newark, New Jersey, stood on a power box, with friends hanging from the traffic signs above. She’s a new Knicks fan, falling in love with the team through her boyfriend – who was among a crowd of fans who commandeered a nearby sanitation truck, chanting “LET’S GO KNICKS.”
“Everyone out here strangers,” she said of the sprawling crowd below her, “But we family now.”
Her newfound love for the Knicks is just as permanent as her newfound love for her boyfriend, she said. “He’s not going nowhere. I’m done. If he’s a Knicks fan I’m staying with them for ever. I’m loyal!”
The sweetness of Thursday’s celebration hardly ended there as the now-viral “Baklava Guy” – who was previously seen giving out his eponymous dessert to Knicks fans outside Madison Square Garden. – doled out baklava to fans at the parade.
Roy Donk, the owner of Good Baklava, told CBS: “There’s just special moments in New York history which we’re living right now, and I usually sell it, but there’s no chance of selling it right now.”
Benny Tuchman, a lifelong fan from Westchester, was observing the Shabbos with family and friends on the evening the Knicks won game 5.
“We had to wait until the second quarter to watch,” he remembered, laughing. When they finally turned the TV on the Knicks were down 15. “But we knew 15 was nothing for this team,” he said, referring to a series of miraculous comebacks during the playoffs.
He knew coming to the parade that he probably wouldn’t get close enough to see the team. Looking out at the thousands of his fellow fans he said: “This is why we came. I just wanted to see the people. I just wanted to see everyone happy.” His friend chimed in: “This is what makes sports great.” Another friend added: “It’s the equalizer.”