It took the New York Knicks 53 years to win another NBA championship, but New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani took very little time in announcing when the parade to celebrate the Knicks would take place.
“Parade. Thursday. Manhattan,” Mamdani posted on X shortly after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win the third championship in franchise history and first since 1973.
Two hours later, the mayor repeated the message with an image resembling an office memo. Maybe a flyer. But the scant details were the same: There will be a parade in Manhattan on Thursday to celebrate the Knicks’ championship.
The city issued a statement saying more concrete details — including the parade route, information on the ceremony and RSVP instructions for media — would be released on Sunday. The ceremony at City Hall will include awarding keys to the city.
But the statement included a longer message from the mayor.
“For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment,” Mamdani said. “Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks. “
“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,” he added. “Now it’s time for our city to celebrate together. Bing bong.”
However, photos and TV footage from New York following the Knicks’ win indicated that the parade — or several parades — had already begun on Saturday night. Those celebrations might continue all the way until Thursday. Who has to work on Monday?
The last championship parade held in Manhattan was for the New York Giants in 2012 after winning Super Bowl XLVI. The route for that celebration began at Battery Place and Washington Street, moving along Broadway in lower Manhattan until ending at City Hall.
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