They began coming at 2 a.m, 3 a.m., the numbers continue to swell until by 10 a.m., there were well over 2 million people lining Broadway and cramming the streets leading to it, dozens thick, to see their heroes, the 2026 NBA Champions, the New York Knicks. It was a historic outpouring for a historic team and an historic occasion – the team’s first NBA Championship in 53 years, but also, how they did it. Yes, in a comfortable 5, losing only game 3, but each game, coming from behind, as much as an unheard of 29 points – to win four of five in the last minutes, last minute, last seconds, last second.
The throngs who came, swelled with joy and pride, did what New Yorkers do best – come together. You might consider the strain on getting to the parade on crammed subways, blocked sidewalks so crowded you couldn’t walk in any direction. But New Yorkers are kind, considerate, good humored and resilient – they somehow opened up space to get through, found a space or something to climb up and stand on.
More than two million lined the Canyon of Heroes, from Battery Park to City Hall, with thousands more cramming sidestreets to the point of b =eing impassable. They waited for hours before the parade even started, cheering, “Knicks in Five,” and finding ways to amuse themselves – playing with a balloon and when a squirrel somehow made its way through the crowd and dashed across Broadway, sent up giddy cheers.
It was as Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at the “keys to the city” ceremony that followed the parade: “Over these past weeks, our city has come together as one… So often when this city comes together it is because we are forced to by tragedy or adversity. What a gift to be brought together by pure, unfiltered. of joy.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani rode the first float (shooting his own video with a broad smile) and other dignitaries like Governor Kathy Hochul and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Celebrities rode along like the Knicks #1 Fan, Spike Lee who rode on Jalen Brunson’s float. Fans also got to see Knicks Legends Knicks including Patrick Ewing, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Carmelo Anthony, Bernard King, and John Starks.
The Knicks, themselves, were divided among several floats – or in Mitchell Robinson’s case, drove his own truck. Perhaps the biggest moment came when the undeniable MVP Jalen Brunson (he scored 45 of the Knicks’ 94 points in the series-clinching Game 5 in San Antonio), rode down next to his father, Rick Brunson, cradling his son’s MVP trophy. Rick Brunson was also a Knicks standout the last time New York reached the NBA Finals in 1999 before 2026 and became an assistant coach with the Knicks in 2022 the same year his son joined the team.
Just as the crowds waved signs, the people on the floats waved signs thanking fans for their support.
A mutual love fest. It was a celebration of community, with high school basketball champions, local school bands, the workers who make MSG run, and representatives of city departments participating.
People didn’t just hang out from windows in tall buildings, they stood out on ledges, threw what works as confetti and rolled out banners.
