New Yorkers Rejoice Over Knicks Victory
Knicks fans gather on a DSNY truck a block from the parade route in lower Manhattan. Photo by Gabriel Capellan
More than one million New Yorkers flocked to the Knicks parade on June 18 to celebrate the team’s historic NBA Finals win. Some fans even started lining up overnight to try and secure a spot on the route in lower Manhattan.
Rob Rada came down from Midtown at 4 A.M. with a giant flag of point guard Jalen Brunson.
“ This is what it is. It's everybody coming under one thing, and the Knicks winning, baby,” said Rada.
This is the Knicks’ first championship title since 1973. On June 13, they beat the San Antonio Spurs in a 4-1 series. It is also the team’s first ever ticker-tape parade, and in a press conference, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said this could be the largest event in New York City history.
Like other fans, Rada was blocked by the NYPD at the parade route on Broadway, as crowds grew throughout the morning. 10,000 police officers were deployed, which is the largest amount ever for a planned event in the city’s history. But this did not stop fans from celebrating, with some even climbing light posts and sitting on garbage trucks to get a view of the parade.
Mao Guibert from Queens also unsuccessfully tried to get to the route, but ultimately he was there for more than just the parade.
“The energy is live,” Guibert said. “This is really what I wanted to experience, you know, is the energy.”
Other fans traveled from out of state to join in the celebration. Veronica Jaochico from New Jersey came wearing a patchwork Knicks shirt that she made before heading into the city.
“ There were so many years where I was quietly a Knicks fan, like you didn't really wanna tell anybody,” Jaochico said. “But I supported them throughout all of it.”
Following the parade, Mayor Mamdani gave the team and its staff keys to the city to honor their historic win. “We waited without ever knowing this day could come and we waited because we knew deep down in our sick, suffering hearts, that it would,” Mamdani said.
While the majority of fans could not access the ceremony directly, this long awaited relief was felt across the city through the cheers and the crowds proudly wearing blue and orange.
