For the first time in the Knicks’ 80-year history, the team will be honored with a championship parade in New York.
The Knicks crawled back from 16 down to beat the Spurs, 94-90, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio on Saturday.
For New York, their fourth comeback win in five games secured the team’s third ever NBA title and its first since 1973. But despite their two titles under late coach Red Holzman, the Knicks had never been celebrated with a ticket-tape parade.
That will all change on Thursday, as mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed after Saturday’s win.
‘For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment,’ Mamdani said in a statement. ‘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 itself.
‘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.’
Knicks fans climb on buses as they celebrate after they win the NBA Finals in Times Square
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown speaks to the media after the Knicks defeat the San Antonio Spurs during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center
Mamdani has announced that the Knicks will have a parade on Thursday in the city
Mamdani ended his statement with a reference to one of the team’s many rallying cries: ‘Bing bong.’
More details about the parade are expected to be revealed Sunday. If it does follow the traditional ‘Canyon of Heroes’ route, festivities will likely be centered around Broadway between Chambers and Rector streets.
Holzman’s Knicks never received a parade.
In 1970, the city’s financial troubles and other logistical issues forced the players into a private celebration at Gracie Mansion. Likewise the Super Bowl III-champion Jets didn’t get a parade in early 1970. However, months earlier, the New York Mets were celebrated in the Canyon of Heroes after winning their first World Series.
When New York beat the Los Angeles Lakers again in the 1973 NBA Finals, they were again denied a parade and were instead toasted at City Hall.
