NEW YORK — Members of the New York Knicks delivered victory speeches during a championship celebration at City Hall on Thursday after a ticker-tape parade through Lower Manhattan honoring the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years, according to city officials and event organizers. The parade followed the team’s NBA Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs and drew large crowds along the traditional “Canyon of Heroes” route.
The celebration began at Battery Park and proceeded north along Broadway before concluding with a ceremony outside City Hall, where players, coaches and team executives addressed fans. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani presented Keys to the City to members of the organization, according to the mayor’s office.
Thousands of supporters lined the route hours before the parade began. The New York Police Department said viewing areas filled early on Thursday morning, with many fans arriving before dawn to secure positions along the route. Local authorities deployed a substantial security presence for the event, according to city officials.
During the City Hall ceremony, team representatives thanked supporters who had waited decades for a championship. “To have the fans that we have in New York City and be able to bring home a championship after all these years is absolutely amazing,” a Knicks player said during remarks carried by local broadcasters and reported by media outlets.
Mayor Mamdani also addressed the crowd, describing the championship as a milestone for the city and its basketball supporters. Earlier, in announcing the parade, he had said New Yorkers “never stopped believing in the Knicks” despite decades without a title.
The parade marked the first ticker-tape celebration in franchise history, city officials said. Although the Knicks won championships in 1970 and 1973, no comparable parade was held for those teams. Thursday’s event therefore represented a unique moment for the organization and its supporters.
Fans wearing the team’s blue and orange colors packed streets throughout Lower Manhattan. Reuters reported that the celebration transformed the Financial District into a gathering place for supporters from across New York’s five boroughs, while current players, former Knicks stars and celebrity fans joined the festivities.
As of Thursday evening, the championship parade and City Hall ceremony had concluded. City officials reported that the Keys to the City had been presented and that municipal buildings would remain illuminated in blue and orange to commemorate the Knicks’ title-winning season.
