The NBA champion New York Knicks have arrived in Lower Manhattan for their highly-anticipated parade in front of millions of adoring fans.
After hours of utter chaos on Broadway, the players finally boarded their open-top buses to greet a fervent crowd of New Yorkers, after hospitalizations and arrests marred the build-up to the celebration.
Thousands of Knicks supporters had lined up overnight for a glimpse at history, and Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Co were in high spirits as they partied with fans from the Battery up to City Hall on Thursday morning.
The towering Karl-Anthony Towns was seen carrying the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals trophy as fans screamed in delight at the first glimpse of their heroes.
Video showed head coach Mike Brown singing ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ in a wild moment before they had even boarded the floats. Knicks owner James Dolan was seen fist pumping with the crowd.
Mikal Bridges brought his dog Sonny, an eight-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, along for the ride and held a video camera to ensure he could soak up the remarkable day.
Karl-Anthony Towns carries the NBA Finals trophy as the Knicks arrived for their parade
Hollywood star Timothee Chalamet greeted fans as he made his way to the start of the parade
Ben Stiller, who is making a documentary about the Knicks’ success, shakes hands with fans
Players and their families were transported to the start of the parade in Battery Park by buses
Mike Brown sang ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’, while Mikal Bridges brought his dog, Sonny, along
OG Anunoby, who made some decisive plays during the NBA Finals, oozed cool in all black
Josh Hart, who threw the first pitch at the Yankees on Wednesday, walked through the crowds
Hollywood stars Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller were in attendance after being almost ever-present during the playoff run. Fellow Knicks superfans Tracy Morgan and Chris Rock also arrived before the parade started.
Players and their families were brought to Battery Park on coaches and excitement continued to build among the crowds of millions.
Knicks icon Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier will be in the first car of the parade, leading the players up Broadway’s iconic Canyon of Heroes. He won the NBA title in 1970 and 1973 but never got the parade he deserved.
The Knicks’ victory – after a 53-year drought – has electrified New Yorkers in recent weeks, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani has predicted that the parade might be one of the biggest in the city’s history.
City police said all the viewing pens along the route were full less than three hours before the procession, packed by thousands of fans who flooded into the city.
Alicia Keys, the singer who collaborated with Jay-Z on the New York-loving 2009 hit ‘Empire State of Mind,’ has been tapped to perform.
‘How could I not?’ Keys said Wednesday in a social media video that featured her on the phone with Knicks forward OG Anunoby.
Police plan to deploy 10,000 officers to secure the event, which follows ebullient but sometimes chaotic street celebrations and some violence during the Knicks’ run to victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
‘We want people to enjoy this moment,’ Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a planning meeting Wednesday, ‘but public safety comes first.’
Some 650 sanitation workers have been assigned to clean up what could be tens of thousands of pounds (kilograms) of debris, if recent history is any guide.
Thousands of fans slept rough on the streets overnight to get the best viewing spots, while millions more have descended on the city to get a glimpse of their heroes.
Millions of Knicks fans are in New York to celebrate their NBA champions in Thursday’s parade
There were chaotic scenes on the subway as the systems quickly became overwhelmed
Fans were forced to scale garbage trucks and street poles to try and get a glimpse of the team
That caused confusion and disorder on the streets as hoards of fans battled to find any space they could, while others reported a disastrous lack of organization and conflicting information from police.
Video showed restless fans arguing and huge groups stranded without anywhere to go. Another image showed police had arrested somebody while some claimed fights were breaking out.
Other images shared on social media showed a male fan receiving medical attention from EMTs in the street while others reported people ‘passing out’ as they waited for the parade to begin.
‘People are having a fit, and they’re fighting because they can’t get in,’ one fan told The New York Post.
‘I’m going to call Mamdani’s office and complain – the police on the street have blamed him, but this is on [NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch],’ she added.
More to follow.
