NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Jalen Brunson held up the golden NBA championship trophy for a forest of outstretched hands to touch as fans celebrated the with a booming parade through Manhattan’s skyscraper-flanked 鈥淐anyon of Heroes.鈥�
鈥淒amn, New York, we really did it,鈥� Brunson, , said at a celebration at City Hall. 鈥淪omehow, someway, I knew we were going to find a way to get this done.鈥�
Moments later, Mayor presented keys to the city to the Knicks’ players, coaches, owners and staff. Wearing a team jersey under his suit jacket, Mamdani said he and other fans 鈥渨aited because we knew deep down in our sick, suffering hearts鈥� the Knicks would someday win.
during the parade. Massive cheers of 鈥淟et鈥檚 go, Knicks!鈥� and 鈥淜nicks in five!鈥� kept erupting.
And OG Anunoby, who in Game 4 of the finals on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left, left his parade float to interact with fans, holding the NBA Cup in-season championship trophy in one hand and a bottle of Patron tequila in the other.
Director Spike Lee, perhaps the team鈥檚 , was on a float with Brunson, savoring the moment. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been to a parade 鈥� ever 鈥� and I鈥檓 glad it鈥檚 this one,鈥� Lee said.
The MVP鈥檚 mom, Sandra Brunson, wore a shirt with photos of Jalen and husband Rick, who played for the Knicks and is an assistant on coach Mike Brown’s staff. She echoed her son鈥檚 words, saying, 鈥淚t was all worth it.鈥�
Karl-Anthony Towns hoisted the Eastern Conference championship trophy and a cigar on top of a parade bus while danced. Later, Towns approached a group of kids with the NBA trophy to let them get their hands on it, bringing joyful screams.
Knicks fans turn out in force
Several blocks from the parade route, 鈥� sometimes on each other鈥檚 shoulders 鈥� or climbed traffic lights and sanitation trucks. Far away on the Brooklyn Bridge, people gathered just to hear the loudspeakers.
鈥淚 had to be here today,鈥� said Shareefa Wallace, 34, who got up at 3 a.m. to make her way from suburban Long Island. She grew up in the city going to Knicks games, and she sported the souvenir jersey of a legend from that era, Patrick Ewing.
Owner James Dolan thanked fans for waiting more than a half-century. Brown encouraged fans to keep their energy going 鈥渂ecause this championship is about you guys.鈥�
鈥楾he New York vibe鈥�
Nearby bars and delis filled with fans, some wishing they鈥檇 arrived at dawn. But many seemed at peace with only experiencing the parade from a distance.
鈥淲e just want to be with the New York energy and the New York vibe,鈥� said Jean Strong, who came to the parade from Harlem with his nephew and sister.
Terrell Emerson, a chef who grew up in Queens, said he drove from Maryland with his daughter Madison 鈥� named in honor of the Knicks’ home arena, Madison Square Garden.
Beaming, Madison held a handwritten sign announcing she鈥檇 skipped her fifth-grade graduation to be there.
Stars and Knicks legends
Knicks great Walt 鈥淐lyde鈥� Frazier 鈥� a member of the 鈥�70s champion teams 鈥� led the parade in a stylish convertible, wearing his NBA title rings. Frazier had late teammates and coaches on his mind.
鈥淭hey would be amazed at what has happened to the Knicks and how they鈥檝e really captivated the city this year,鈥� Frazier said. 鈥淭his has exceeded any expectations I ever thought that we鈥檇 have.鈥�
, Ben Stiller, Jon Stewart, Mariska Hargitay, Tracy Morgan and other celebrities joined the party, while Knicks play-by-play announcer Mike Breen emceed the City Hall ceremony.
, the singer who collaborated with on the 2009 hit 鈥淓mpire State of Mind,鈥� performed a medley that mixed her song with the classic 鈥淣ew York, New York.鈥�
A parade decades in the making
The mere fact that the parade is happening is historic in itself. Although the Knicks won the championship twice in the 1970s, the city either time. Then-Mayor John Lindsay had cut down on ticker-tape extravaganzas for financial and other reasons. Instead, he held a 1970 reception at the mayoral mansion and a jam-packed ceremony in 1973 outside City Hall.
This time, the city went all out. A police officer could be seen holding a sign reading, 鈥淭his is really happening.鈥�
And a massive security operation
Officials said 10,000 police officers were deployed to secure the event, which follows ebullient but sometimes and some violence during the Knicks’ , including a five-game final against San Antonio.
Police said 10 people in the area around the parade were arrested and three others were issued summonses, on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to felony assault. The Fire Department said it took 30 people to hospitals and treated 31 others at the scene for ailments that included heat-related emergencies, asthma and minor injuries.
Before the parade, a small group of people were crushed against a barrier near Fulton Street, a key subway hub, pinned between a swelling crowd and a group of police officers shoving the barrier.
Some 650 sanitation workers were assigned to clean up what could be tens of thousands of pounds (kilograms) of debris, if recent history is any guide.
Why does New York throw ticker-tape parades?
Ticker-tape parades derive their name from the narrow strips of paper used by telegraph-era 鈥渟tock ticker鈥� machines. New York brokerage firm workers tossed the paper from office windows during parades in the late 19th century, adding a swirling spectacle.
Over the years, especially up to the mid-1960s, the city rolled out ticker-tape parades for visiting foreign leaders, historic anniversaries and feats in aviation, war, sports, music, space travel and more.
The Knicks’ parade was the 210th, coming after a bash for in 2024.
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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Julie Walker in New York and AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in Southampton, New York, contributed.
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