Knicks honored at City Hall after parade through Canyon of Heroes

Bars take the place of parade for these LIers

It wasn't exactly the brush with history they were hoping for, but a group of Knicks fans from Long Island rode the train to Manhattan Thursday and settled for their own version of a watch party honoring the NBA champs.

Is that a fan or Tyler Kolek?

Knicks guard Tyler Kolek was stopped by NYPD working security during the parade as he ran up a street inside the barricades.

He was held back for a few seconds until someone realized who he was.

"I swear I’m on the team bro," Kolek later tweeted in response to a tweet referencing the brief delay by security.

Alicia Keys performs at the Knicks parade

Alicia Keys started by performing Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," before transitioning to her anthem "Empire State of Mind," playing the piano to the beat of the song. "This is our time, we are champions," she said.

Keys had the entire team up and moving onstage as she performed her song.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR NEW YORK.

Alicia Keys performs Empire State of Mind at City Hall! 🎶 pic.twitter.com/mFlF8uR97U

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 18, 2026

And here's a look at Keys backstage before she performed, via Newsday's Matthew Chayes.

Backstage as @AliciaKeys prepared to perform at the #alwaysknicks NBA championship ceremony at City Hall. (Video: @chayesmatthew) pic.twitter.com/bssMpW9tUx

— Newsday Sports (@NewsdaySports) June 18, 2026

Parade cleanup time

On Thursday morning, the streets of lower Manhattan looked something like this:

Now, as the Knicks still mill about City Hall amid more confetti and championship vibes, Broadway looks like this:

And at City Hall around 4:30 p.m., it looks almost as if nothing happened today.

Knicks ceremony at City Hall is underway

The City Hall ceremony is starting now (watch a livestream of it here) with Knicks dancers, hosted by NBA announcer and Long Islander Mike Breen. The crowd is full of celebrities, among them Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Mariska Hargitay, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet. They are among Knicks alumni including Latrell Sprewell, Carmelo Anthony and Larry Johnson.

Breen introduced the Knicks as the team took the stage at City Hall, led by Jalen Brunson, owner James Dolan and Karl-Anthony Towns carrying the championship trophy, kissing it as he set it down at the podium.

Towns and Mikal Bridges traded a video camera as they shot footage of each other and hyped the City Hall crowd.

Avery Wilson, known as the scarecrow in the Broadway musical “The Wiz,” sang the national anthem ahead of Mayor Zohran Mamdani

“For 53 long years we have watched and we have waited,” Mamdani said. “For 53 years we have watched the Knicks and we have waited. The memory of Willis Reed winning the championship grew fainter and fainter.”

“We waited, not knowing if this day would ever come because we knew in our sick suffering hearts that it would,” Mamdani said. “New York City has had two of the most magical months any of us can ever remember. Over these past two weeks as the Knicks kept winning, our city came together. … What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy. As long as we live, we will remember this city together, alive and overcome by happiness.”

Mamdani called Brunson “the new standard for greatness” and praised the grit and determination of the Knicks players, repeatedly citing the 0.4% chance the Knicks had to win and overcome a 29-point deficit in Game 4, in the largest NBA Finals comeback of all time.

“It’s what New Yorkers do when they’re told something is impossible,” Mamdani said. “We find a way and we win.”

Mamdani led a "Knicks in 5" chant.

“The Knicks did not just win for New York City. They win like New York City. What is New York but our backs against the wall,” Mamdani said. “This is our city, this is our team, for 53 years we watched, for 53 years we waited. Now, we’ve won.”

Knicks owner James Dolan thanked fans for waiting 53 years for a title, but noted many of the fans weren’t born yet when the Knicks last won the title in 1973. 

“If you’re a real Knicks fan, you know the history already,” Dolan said. “Thank you for supporting our team. We’re going to keep working to bring you better basketball. It’s hard to imagine anything better than this, but we will.”

Knicks president Leon Rose, who helped assemble the team, described the team as “the cardiac kids” who find a way to win.

Head coach Mike Brown took the stage, specifically thanking Patrick Ewing.

“The energy today in New York is off the charts,” Brown said. “This is New York City’s championship.”

The first-year head coach referenced training and working last year through the offseason. He said at the beginning of the year he asked all the players to sign a contract about sacrifice.

He also led a chant of the Baha Men song "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

“We had our ups and definitely had our downs and our group stayed connected through that time,” Brown said. “We all held each other accountable and that's why we won a championship"

NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson thanked the ownership and team staff.

“We really did it, dog,” Brunson said. “Somehow, some way, I knew we would find a way to get this done.”

He also thanked his family and the fans, noting they were tough critics.

Mike Brown celebrates with Knicks fans during the parade

Knicks head coach Mike Brown led the team to the NBA title in his first season with the franchise. Here he is celebrating with fans during the parade on Thursday.

The view from City Hall

KAT, Alvarado and more from City Hall pic.twitter.com/PSfjwcnz1O

— Newsday Sports (@NewsdaySports) June 18, 2026

The Knicks parade is underway

The parade left Battery Park, led by the NYPD Pipes and Drums band and police horses, with officers waving to the crowd. Cars carrying Knicks legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier and buses carrying players led the parade route up Broadway.

The floats also include hip-hop artists Wu Tang Clan, Fat Joe and Jadakiss. Actor and Knicks superfan Timothée Chalamet and his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, and Knicks players OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges waved to fans.

Frazier, the parade's grand marshal, rode in a 1952 Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton convertible, the same car used to carry Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969 ticker-tape parade. It was also used in 1962 to carry Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson during a parade, according to the city Department of Transportation.

Fans reached a fever pitch as Anunoby came through on a float with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The mayor smiled at the press corps as he held a camcorder and recorded the event.

Mamdani was riding on a float wearing a Knicks jersey under his suit, along with Gov. Kathy Hochul, wearing a Knicks jacket and hat. "Law and Order" and Broadway actress Mariska Hargitay, who was a loyal courtside Knicks fan, is riding on the float with Jalen Brunson.

Along the route, Jose Alvarado, Brooklyn’s own and a Christ the King graduate, got off his float and interacted with the crowd.

Bridges rode on the back of a float with his dog. At the front was Tyler Kolek, who appeared to be on cloud 9, singing to the music.

Fans clamored over Josh Hart, sporting a bottle of Champagne and a cigar. On the same float was sharpshooter Landry Shamet, with a film camera around his neck.

Mikal Bridges got off his float on the route to celebrate with #Knicks fans. via @Janon_Fisher pic.twitter.com/VpLUmQdBjK

— Newsday Sports (@NewsdaySports) June 18, 2026

Chalamet emceed on a float of Knicks legends and announcer Mike Breen of MSG Networks and ESPN. Meanwhile, Steve Novak tossed a toilet paper roll into the crowd.

Knicks bench fan favorite Mohamed Diawara skipped through the parade with trophy in hand.

Spike Lee rode in the same float as Jalen Brunson and his father, Rick, holding the NBA Finals trophy as Jalen took in the crowd.

Ben Stiller rode along at the front of a float labeled “ownership" as he pumped up the crowd.

Patrick Ewing and Gale Reed, Willis’ wife, closed out the parade.

Reed sat on top of a black Lexus in a jersey and championship hat and waved to the crowd. Ewing smiled, threw up peace signs and thumbs ups to the crowd as he sat atop a white Lexus. He also looked  around the bus in front of the dignitaries as the parade ended in a New York classic: traffic on Broadway.

The occasional fan jumped the barricades and attempted to take a selfie or get clothing signed with Patrick Ewing. The Knicks superstar was gracious. An officer later handed him merchandise from a fan to sign as Ewing sat in traffic, waiting to advance past Vesey Street.

Newsday's Joshua Solomon contributed to this report.

A little bit of City Hall history

Abraham Lincoln was mourned here in 1865, Ulysses S. Grant in 1885. Police rioted here — in 1857 and 1993.

Since the early 1800s, the plaza in front of New York City Hall has hosted mass celebrations — the laying of the first transatlantic cable, in 1857; welcoming the crew of the the Apollo 11, in 1969; and then celebrating the Yankees, in the late 1990s; the Giants Super Bowl victory, in 2008; and the New York Liberty's championship win, in 2024.

And Thursday at City Hall, one of America’s oldest government buildings that still has its original function, a banner celebrated the “2026 NBA CHAMPIONS.”

That space above the columns has been to mark moments sad and joyous spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

In 1865, when President Lincoln lay in state inside, thousands gathered in the plaza. “THE NATION MOURNS.”

NYC's ticker-tape parade history

The first ticker-tape parade in New York City was a celebration of the completion of the Statue of Liberty on Oct. 28, 1886.

The parade was planned, but when Wall Street workers spontaneously threw ticker-tape out their windows — one inch wide streams of paper used with telegraph machines to report stock prices and market information — along the parade route, a tradition was born.

According to the Downtown Alliance, an organization that operates the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District, more than one million people attended that first parade at which President Grover Cleveland addressed the crowd.

Since then the city has held more than 200 ticker-tape parades. They’ve celebrated presidents, military victories, visiting foreign leaders, athletes, astronauts and veterans. Though in recent decades, most ticker-tape parades have been for sports teams, the first such parade to celebrate athletic achievement was held in 1924 to recognize the U.S. Olympic Team.

The cascade of streams of paper became popular and routine as more than 130 ticker-tape parades were held after World War II until Mayor John Lindsay discontinued them in 1966. They returned in 1969 to celebrate Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 astronauts and the Mets.

Updates from NYPD, FDNY and street closures

NYPD officials did not have any early reports of arrests as of 10:30 a.m.

FDNY officials said they have received calls along the parade route, but many were unfounded or canceled. And only three people were transported for general illnesses. No serious injuries were reported.

Subway service remained closed south of Canal Street at stations for Bowling Green 4/5 Fulton Street, Wall Street, City Hall and Chambers Street.

FDR Drive was closed but reopened at 38th Street in Manhattan. No vehicle traffic is allowed south of Canal Street in Lower Manhattan.

Yes, Mitchell Robinson's truck is in the parade

Turned away at 7:30 a.m

Five women who grew up together in Northport took the Long Island Rail Road from Jamaica, where one of them — Isabella Marino — lives with classmates from St. John's University. Shortly before 10 a.m. they arrived in Penn Station, having walked from the parade route. They stopped at Pollo Campero, where quite a few disappointed fans sported Knicks shirts, and few spoke into cellphones to ask, "Are you in?"

They had arrived at the parade route at 5:45 a.m. "We were waiting in a line to get to security on Church Street," said Marino, 22. "And we waited for two hours."

Around 7:30 a.m., they learned they weren't going to get in.

"We got informed that the pens were closed," Anna Zambuto, 21, said.

Finding that they weren't going to see anything where they were, and lacking cellphone reception, which meant they couldn't watch it on their phone, they decided to head back to Penn Station to find a place to watch it on TV.

"It's disappointing," Marino said. But, "We knew we weren't gong to get in."

They decided to beat the crowds back to the LIRR.

Still, "there was a lot of energy" downtown, but as they walked back to Penn Station, "it was more depressing, it literally got quieter."

Parade about to start as players are arriving

There is a 50% chance of rain during the Knicks parade, but thousands of fans hope the forecast holds until Thursday afternoon. Scattered showers are possible throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms are also possible after 2 p.m., with wind gusts topping 30 mph.

Knicks owner James Dolan and Knicks players including Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson are starting to arrive for the parade. Towns carried the Larry O'Brien championship trophy and greeted fans, taking pictures with them at Battery Park.

Other VIP celebrities including Spike Lee arrived for the ceremony at City Hall. A piano was also wheeled onstage for Alicia Keys' expected performance of "Empire State of Mind."

Knicks small forward Mikal Bridges arrived wearing his team jersey and his dog Sunny, while he carried a video camera. The team was joined by Knicks legends including Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony, followed by Knicks forward OG Anunoby and coach Mike Brown. The start of the parade was slightly delayed as the players made their way to the Battery Park parade floats.

Tiki's take

Among the horde waiting outside City Hall for the Knicks celebration parade to kick off was former Giants star Tiki Barber, now the co-host of "Evan & Tiki" on WFAN.

"The Knicks fans have been waiting forever," Barber said. "This is an ecstatic feeling. It's a basketball town, but they've never had basketball championships here, at least for a lot of these guys. Yeah, it goes back to the '70s, and most of us weren't even born yet, so this is amazing. They galvanized and unified the city, which is pretty cool."

Barber said one reason why this Knicks team has electrified New York is that all of the players are so likeable. "There's not a person that you look at and say, 'He didn't belong.' They all belong. Give credit to the organization, particularly [team president] Leon Rose. for putting the right group of guys together, who knew what it took."

'Massive undertaking' for NYPD

Thursday’s parade marks one of the largest security undertakings in the history of the NYPD.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department planned to deploy 10,000 officers. That’s more than the 2012 Giants parade, which required 4,000 officers, and the 2009 Yankees World Series parade, which required 2,500 officers.

"This is larger than New Year’s Eve in Times Square. This is a massive undertaking for the police department," the former NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan told NBC/4. "This is an unprecedented moment in New York history."

Meanwhile, over at the South Street Seaport

At South Street Seaport, Knicks fans have found a comfortable outdoor space to watch the parade.

Many fans brought their own beer, but the crowd is calm. Highlights of the NBA finals appeared on the screen, eliciting chants of “MVP” as Jalen Brunson was shown. Other chants of “Deuce” and “OG” and a not-so-polite one for Spurs villain Victor Wembanyama.

But, at 10 a.m., the monitors and TV screens at the Seaport went dark and NYPD officers told everyone to disperse. Fans chanted expletives at officers. One officer said it was not an official watch party and someone illegally set it up. As the booing went on and some fans left, at least 500 people remained in place chanting “Turn it on.”

AG James' thoughts on the Knicks going to the White House

New York Attorney General Letitia James wouldn't say whether the Knicks should go to the White House to meet with President Trump.

"I will defer to them," she said inside City Hall, hours before the Knicks are awarded the keys to the city.

But would she go?

"The answer is yes," she said.

Even under the current president?

"I want to make sure that whatever I do is in the best interest of New York," James said. "If it involved getting some additional resources, yes, or if it involved maybe him withdrawing from one of his illegal and unconstitutional executive orders, yes."

Should the Knicks boycott?

"That is their personal prerogative, because, you know, in their contract — they have autonomy over their own bodies. And therefore, if they decide not to go, I would respect that."

"How about this? Before they go to the White House, they should call me. I've got an entire list."

Did she think the Knicks would win?

"I had some doubt. But I'm a believer," she said. "And the story of JB really resonates with me, People who counted him out, who said he was too small, too short, and here he is a champion. And that really is the story for countless number of individuals who have been told that they should get back and get in line."

She added: "And I was told that as well."

Lower Manhattan is shut down

Getting in and out of lower Manhattan may be nearly impossible Thursday morning.

The city declared the entire area would be car-free during the Knicks parade, with no traffic or parking south of Canal Street.

Subway service was also skipping all stops in Manhattan south of Canal Street.

Bus service was suspended in much of lower Manhattan.

The city said all lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge were closed in both directions.

With thousands of fans still making their way to the parade route, police said that all viewing pens for the parade were full as of 7:30 a.m. Access to the ceremony at City Hall was limited to ticket holders.

The parade impacted roadway north of the closure zone. All lanes of the FDR Drive have been reopened at 38th Street in Manhattan after earlier closures, authorities said.

Fans are climbing the scaffolding now

From Boston to Broadway, almost

Herb Kantor, 69, traveled from Lenox, Massachusetts, for the parade, and was on-site by about 6 a.m., but he still could not get to Broadway to the see the Knicks stars.

He and his daughter Shayna, 23, tried to get to the route via John Street, but after waiting an hour a block away from Broadway were turned back as the crowd built.

Kantor, who grew up in upstate Kingston as a Knicks fan, was taking it all in stride.

“What are you going to do?” he said. “We’re down here to be part of it.”

His daughter quietly confided that she lives in Boston, “but I’m a New York sports fan.”

Why Patrick Ewing's No. 33 is at City Hall for Dillon Jones

Dillon Jones' banner on City Hall has him wearing No. 33.

Problem is, that number was retired in 2003 for Knicks legend Patrick Ewing.

Jones spent most of the season in street clothes, but he did play seven games while wearing the No. 1. However, he is listed on the Knicks' team page on NBA.com with the number 33. Why is that? Well, on that page, Jones is pictured in a Washington Wizards jersey, the team he played for to begin the season. He wore No. 33 for the Wizards until he was released on Oct. 19. He signed a two-way contract with the Knicks on Jan. 20.

Jones is in his second year in the NBA and is now a two-time champion after playing for the Thunder last season. If he keeps this up, they may have to retire his number.

Crowds jamming nearby streets

The holding pens are full and hordes of fans have spread out onto neighboring Manhattan streets.

Everywhere, entrepreneurs are selling flags, T-shirts, horns and helmets. Convenience stores and Dunkin' are doing brisk business.

So far, there is no evident anger from fans who have been shut out of the parade-route pens some two hours before the parade's scheduled step-off.

Street art in Wu Tang style proclaimed: "Protect Yo Knicks Heart."

The scene feels electric

Newsday's Bart Jones is at the parade at the corner of Nassau Street and John Street, one block away from the parade route on Broadway. Some of his recent notes:

- You cannot go any further. Some people are sitting at top of the railings of the subway entrance. It is a packed crowd here.

- The scene feels electric, but also a little scary, like something crazy could happen.

- There are masses of people moving up and down the streets, even in opposing directions. It's as if no one knows where to go to get to the parade route.

- The line of people waiting on John Street to supposedly get to the parade route actually stretches around the corner on William Street.

This Brunson-Wemby pairing

What juxtaposition!

And the band played on

Pregame for the band at City Hall on parade day:

City Hall awaits a celebration

A look at City Hall early Thursday morning of parade day:

Cheering an MTA bus

Fans along the barricades of the parade route — many here since before sunrise — have begun to chant at anything they can. An MTA bus stopped to let off workers. "San-it-ta-tion," the fans cheered, although it was unclear if the workers actually were employed by the Department of Sanitation.

Later, a boy using a wheelchair was escorted by police down Broadway and fans gave him a big round of applause.

Reginald Clark rattled off the names of the Knicks of old, and recalled memories of growing up playing ball on the courts in Brooklyn. But the reason he went from his late-night job straight to the parade route at 4 a.m. cut deeper.

"It all started with my mom," Clark said about his fandom. "I’m out here representing for Momma Clark," he said. "She is 92."

Ed Zaldivar, 50, of Jersey City, booked a hotel near the route to stay with his family. He said his fandom has led many to be fed up with him.

He put in for time off at work. He put on hold visiting relatives in Texas (who understood). And he packed into the hotel room with his family and friends on Thursday.

"I’ve been waiting for this my whole life," Zaldivar said.

Enormous crowds pack Manhattan

From Penn Station, to the subway, to the streets of lower Manhattan around the Canyon of Heroes parade route, New York City is experiencing some extraordinary crowding.

Extraordinary scenes of crowding

The NYPD said all parade viewing spots along Broadway are full.

Police said Wednesday that fans would be turned away once the parade route reached capacity. Once fans enter the viewing area they cannot leave, police said.

The MTA is skipping all subway stops south of Canal Street.

Brunson as 'lord and savior'

Julian Rendon, 26, an IT worker from Port Jefferson, was in Penn Station holding a poster he made of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, depicting the NBA Finals MVP as Jesus.

"Brunson, he's our lord and savior — he literally saved New York," Brunson said as he waited on a friend before heading down to the parade. "If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have won the last game."

Rendon said the train in was packed. "It's very exciting," he said. "We're all super pumped."

"I can't say I've waiting 53 years, because I'm not 53, but it's definitely been a long time. We've never seen anything like this in New York," Rendon said of the Knicks championship win.

Scaling scaffolding for a view

Fans in lower Manhattan have started to scale scaffolding in an effort to clear the lines or to get a view of the happenings ahead.

Many fans say they've been in line for hours but have been constantly redirected by street closures.

It's impossible to know what's happening more than 10 feet ahead. Simultaneously, downtown employees are trying to squeeze through to get to work. Frustration is building.

Some just going to work

Maritza Morel appeared to be one of the few people on the 5:36 a.m. out of Ronkonkoma who was not heading to the Knicks parade. She was going to work as an executive assistant at a construction company in the city.

The train was packed with fans, and she had to stand for at least an hour. But the Brentwood resident said it was worth it. “Standing an hour is nothing,” said Morel, 58, adding that she is a fan too.

“I knew it was going to be this way,” said Morel, 58, adding that she, too, is a fan. “It’s wonderful. We’ve been waiting a long time. Let’s just hope everything is nice and safe.”

Brad Ferraro, 51, of Commack, who takes the LIRR from Deer Park daily to for work, said he was expecting the train to be full of Knicks fans, but not nearly to the extent it was on Thursday morning.

“It’s never like this,” said Ferraro, a lifelong Knicks fan who intends to watch the parade from his office building. “I think this is great for the city and great for Knick fans. I just hope everyone has fun today, and everyone's safe.”

Foot traffic comes to a standstill downtown

Just after 6 a.m., the screening process for paradegoers is causing foot traffic to come to a standstill.

Wall-to-wall people at Fulton and Nassau streets were observed trying to get screened — still several blocks away from the viewing areas.

Confusion reigned and no information was immediately forthcoming.

At a Bowling Green checkpoint, police officers turned away two people who said they were going to work at Ellis Island.

"How are we supposed to get work?" one asked.

The workers showed their employee badges to police but were told they had to go north and through a checkpoint for the parade. They hurried off in a huff.

Frustration was mounting among paradegoers as light rain began to fall and the humidity grew under gray early morning skies.

Blue and orange hair spray, anyone?

Cara Brown, 47, of St. James, went about the platform in Ronkonkoma asking other Knicks fans if they’d like to use her remaining blue and orange hair spray. She had already painted her hair with the Knicks colors and some was left in the can.

“We’ve watched every game, and we've been to a number of games, and they've been so inspirational this season,” Brown said. “So with all the energy that we put in, we couldn't not come to the city today.”

By 5:42 a.m. the train to Penn Station was packed with Knicks fans.

Rachel Robinson, 33, of Mastic Beach, planned ahead; she ate a bagel and drank a Red Bull after the train departed.

She told Newsday she had just bought her blue Knicks shirt Wednesday around 8 p.m. for the occasion. She and her fiance, who took off from work today, planned to meet friends in Penn Station before finding a spot to watch the parade.

For mother and son, another memory

For Ian Swensen, of Levittown, and his mother, Karen Porter, of Merrick, the Knicks have always meant more than just basketball.

Swensen, a Navy veteran who was honored by the team on the court on Veterans Day, said he and his mother have traveled the world together "and to do something like this is pretty awesome."

Porter said she and her son have been watching games together since he was young.

"Today is just going to be another memory we can share together," she said.

No way out, for hours

Paradegoers should expect to stay put for hours — because the NYPD won't let anyone out.

“Once you enter the viewing pens, you will not be allowed to leave,” the NYPD posted on X.

And since no umbrellas are allowed into any viewing area, paradegoers should consider bringing rain gear, as the forecast calls for a chance of rain and thunderstorms.

'They mean everything'

A police officer at Nassau and John streets in lower Manhattan said he and most of his colleagues had been at a checkpoint for the parade since 6 p.m. He said they are working until told otherwise.

The officer said people started arriving at 2 a.m. 

One of the first was Miracle Pierre, 39. He said he in fact arrived at 1:30 a.m.

“I waited my whole life, so what’s seven or eight hours,” Pierre said.

Pierre, born and raised in Brooklyn and living in New Jersey, said he attended Game 5 in San Antonio. He’s hoping to have a chance to see the team up close.

“They mean everything,” Pierre said. “My childhood. Memories with my dad. Memories with my son.”

Excitement builds on the LIRR

Shortly before 4:30 a.m., the Merrick Long Island Rail Road station platform was already filling up with nearly 100 excited Knicks fans heading to the parade.

They included David Jacobs, of Merrick, and his cousin David Kikarov, who traveled from Miami for the celebration.

"I've waited 27 years for this exact moment," Kikarov said. "I wasn't going to miss it."

Jacobs said the Knicks championship run "has been great for the city and has been great for us. I couldn't be any happier."

The 5:21 a.m. LIRR train to Penn Station was standing room only well before it pulled up to Merrick. But boisterous Knicks fans didn't seem to mind

Anthony Delacruz, of Merrick, was joined by his brother-in-law, his two sons and one of their friends.

"I've been to a Giants parade. I've been to a Yankees parade but I wasn't sure I would ever see a Knicks parade," Delacruz said. "I've been dreaming of this since I was 14."

Mike Francisco, Delacruz’s brother-in-law, said a Knicks title "never seemed possible. And the fact that it came so fast, felt so great for the city coming together. All of our loyalty paid off this year."

A smile from Officer Brunson

The pre-sunrise subway commute has a blend of work boots and neon shirts with Nikes and Knicks gear.

On an A train heading to Fulton Street just before 5 a.m., a family of three wears matching Knicks championship hats. The son’s feet — dressed in the same orange Nikes as his father — dangle off the subway seat. “Is this our stop?” the son says earnestly. The dad shakes his head.

A police officer briefly rode aboard the A train. Her badge showed a name that will be worn on many backs today: Brunson.

“Brunson’s a good last name to have right now,” a reporter acknowledges.

“Yes, right,” Officer Brunson says with a big smile before exiting the subway car.

Alcohol banned on the LIRR

Drinking alcohol anywhere in the Long Island Rail Road system is being temporarily banned for 24 hours due to the Knicks parade.

"Alcohol will not be permitted system-wide on our trains or in our stations," the railroad posted on X.

The ban is in effect from 5 a.m. Thursday through 5 a.m. Friday and mirrors a ban that applies to Metro-North, the MTA’s other commuter rail.

Both railroads are expecting higher than normal passenger numbers. 

How the Knicks won the NBA title

While you're waiting for the parade to start at 10 a.m., take a few moments to watch how the Knicks made parade day possible.

What to know before you go

1. When does it start, and when should I get there?

The parade starts at 10 a.m., but fans should arrive at least two hours early, because the parade route will be packed and cross streets will be closed after the parade begins.

2. Getting to the parade

The Long Island Rail Road will let fans connect to the subway either at Penn Station (the 2, 3, A, C or E) or Grand Central Madison (the 4, 5, or 6). In addition to the parade route itself, the surrounding streets will be closed to traffic. The city is closing the Wall Street (4,5) and City Hall (R,W) subway stations beginning at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday. The following stations along the route will be open: Bowling Green (4,5); Fulton Street (4,5,J,Z,2,3); Brooklyn Bridge (4,5,6); Chambers Street (J,Z); Park Place (2,3).

The city will not allow parking south of Canal Street beginning at 7 p.m. tonight. Lower Manhattan south of Canal Street will be shut down to all vehicular traffic, except for the FDR Drive and the West Side Highway. Any vehicles coming off the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan will only be able to go north on the FDR Drive.

3. Why Thursday?

The date was chosen in consultation with the team, the mayor said, particularly to give the players enough time to bring their families to attend in person. The date conflicts with Regents exams for many high school students, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged students to prioritize those over the parade.

For more parade details and things to know, click here.

Title 3, parade 1 for Knicks

This is third NBA championship for the Knicks yet just their first ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes in New York City.

Why the numerical discrepancy?

John Lindsay, New York City's mayor when the Knicks won the title in 1970 and again in 1973, had "discontinued the ticker-tape parade celebration in favor of more informal receptions," Kenneth Cobb, deputy commissioner at the city’s Department of Records and Information Services, told The City Reporter earlier this month.

Although, the Mets won the World Series eight months earlier and received a ticker-tape parade on Oct. 20, 1969. The Jets won Super Bowl III in January of 1969 but did not have a parade. 

The next sports-related ticker-tape parade was on October 19, 1977, after the Yankees won the World Series.