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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives prior speaking about the fiscal year 2027 budget in New York City on May 12, 2026.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was in attendance for the New York Knicks‘ 109-93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

However, Mamdani wasn’t seated in the celebrity row and instead attended the game as a regular fan. Per multiple reports, the 34-year-old paid “face value” for his tickets —estimated to be roughly $700 — to watch Jalen Brunson and company in action.

Mamdani shared a photo of himself and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams at the game with the caption “Knicks forever.”

Did Zohran Mamdani Pay for His Ticket?

During the game, a fan who paid roughly $700 for their ticket shared a photo of Mamdani sitting nearby, as highlighted by New York-based reporter Bernadette Hogan. A City Hill spokesperson told Hogan that Mamdani paid “face value” for his ticket.

“@NYCMayor left off the @nyknicks game from his public schedule this evening. He’s there w @JumaaneWilliams. City Hall spox says he paid for his ticket at “face value.”

“An eagle-eyed fan—who paid nearly $700 for their ticket—sent photos to @InsideCityHall producer @afia_eama.”

According to the New York Post, some young fans at Madison Square Garden had “no clue” who Mamdani was and were there strictly to watch Captain Jalen Brunson.

“Mamdani? Who’s that?” asked 18-year-old fan Kevin Taylor.

“That’s the mayor!”  Kristian Charles chimed in.

“Jalen Brunson is the mayor of New York right now,” Taylor responded.

Knicks Take 2-0 Lead

Captain Jalen Brunson recorded a playoff career-high 14 assists as the Knicks stealrolled the Cavaliers, 109-93, to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Josh Hart had a career playoff high 26 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges combined for another 37 points. As a team, the Knicks shot 52% from the field.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson praised Brunson for getting his teammates involved despite a relatively quiet scoring night, with 19 points.

“Obviously we’re loaded up more to him, and he found other guys,” Atkinson said of Brunson, via ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “We just got to find that balance, but 14 assists, credit to him, right? Took away some of the scoring options, blitzed him, gave him different looks.”

Hart made five of his 11 three-point attempts after missing his first three looks from deep. After the game, he said he trusted his shot and never lost confidence.

“I was kind of frustrated, I’ve been putting in the reps,” Hart said of breaking out of his shooting slump. “It’s not translating right now. I just knew I would keep shooting and if I did that, I would be good.”

Head coach Mike Brown had a lot of praise for Hart.

“It’s just who Josh is. He’s a gamer. He knew what he had to do in terms of adjustments he needed to make in order to be effective,” Brown said. “He was great, he was decisive. We have to play fast, so we’re not going against a set defense all the time.”

The Knicks are just two wins away from ending their 26-year NBA Finals drought. The series now shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday night.