Key Takeaways
- The New York Knicks will be honored with a ticker-tape parade in NYC on Thursday (June 18), starting at 10 a.m. ET near Battery Park.
- The parade will travel north along Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes and conclude with a City Hall ceremony and Keys to the City presentation.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed recent safety concerns and said officials are focused on ensuring fans can celebrate responsibly.
The New York Knicks are still very much in celebration mode after winning the 2026 NBA Finals.
On Thursday (June 18), the team will be honored with New York City’s first-ever Knicks championship ticker-tape parade, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced. The event will notably include Keys to the City for the players, plus a ceremony at City Hall. “As a fan, I haven't wanted to jinx it, but as the mayor, we've been preparing for all these logistics,” he told ABC 7.
The parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. ET near Battery Park, then make its way north along Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes before wrapping at City Hall. To keep the festivities going, several municipal buildings across NYC will also be illuminated in the Knicks' team colors, blue and orange.
See Mamdani’s announcement post below.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the Knicks gave New York the moment it waited decades for
“For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment. Through near misses, heartbreak, and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks. And this team fulfilled that hope with grit, resilience, and heart — just like the five boroughs [themselves],” Mamdani shared in a press statement over the weekend.
He continued, “New Yorkers have cheered for our team from packed living rooms in the Bronx to watch parties in Brooklyn, from bars in Queens to Staten Island to Manhattan, and Madison Square Garden itself. Now it’s time for our city to celebrate together. Bing bong.”
Of course, the ticker-tape parade is far from the only celebration happening after the Knicks’ 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5. On Monday (June 15) night, the championship-winning team will join Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for “The Tonight Show,” which also happens to feature a much-anticipated performance from Wu-Tang Clan.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses safety concerns ahead of the Knicks parade
While the “vast majority of New Yorkers” celebrated the Knicks’ NBA Finals win responsibly, especially with it being the city’s first championship since 1973, Mamdani also took a moment to address the few bad actors.
“There were a select number of New Yorkers who celebrated in a way that was frankly unacceptable. It was not celebration,” he said during parade preparations in Queens. “It was an excuse, whether it be to attack someone around them or to be violent toward our police officers.”
Mamdani went on to thank the New York Police Department (NYPD) for keeping the city safe through the chaos. He added that officials are focused on making sure residents can “safely and responsibly” celebrate over the next few days.