Star-Studded Celebration: Knicks Heroes, Timothee Chalamet, and WAGs Shine at Victory Parade with Mamdani

In a grand celebration that could only befit a city like New York, millions of ecstatic Knicks fans gathered in downtown Manhattan on Thursday morning to honor their team’s triumphant NBA championship win with a dazzling ticker-tape parade.

The streets were awash in the team’s signature orange and blue as the players made their way up Broadway towards City Hall. The electric atmosphere was palpable, as fans lined the route, eager to catch a glimpse of their sports heroes despite the earlier chaos that had resulted in some hospitalizations and arrests.

Die-hard Knicks supporters had camped out overnight, determined not to miss this historic moment. As Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and their teammates passed by, they were met with roaring cheers, embodying the exuberance of the city. The players, reveling in the victory, mingled with the crowd, sharing in the joy and energy of the celebration.

Adding to the jubilant scene, Karl-Anthony Towns took center stage, brandishing a sizable cigar and holding the NBA Eastern Conference Finals trophy aloft. Fans clamored for a chance to see him, their cheers echoing through the streets.

Before he joined the parade, Brunson, in a moment of pride, paused to speak with New York Governor Kathy Hochul. He then boarded his float, where he was later seen posing for photos with his wife, Ali, and their young daughter, Jordyn, as his family joined in the festivities, celebrating this monumental achievement alongside him.

‘In the words of Jalen, I have no words,’ said Sandra Brunson, the mother of the NBA Finals MVP and Knicks captain. ‘It was all worth it.’ 

Millions of jubilant New York Knicks fans celebrated their team’s NBA championship victory

Karl-Anthony Towns smokes a huge cigar as the Knicks enjoyed their NBA title parade

NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson poses with his wife Ali and their daughter Jordyn at the 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

Fans went wild as their heroes passed on their floats with crowds stretching for miles

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani gestures to fans alongside Knicks star OG Anunoby

Mike Brown sang ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’, while Mikal Bridges brought his dog, Sonny, along

Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson poses for a selfie with a fan before getting on his parade float

Hollywood stars Timothee Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Spike Lee were also in attendance after being almost ever-present during the playoff run. Fellow Knicks superfans Tracy Morgan and Chris Rock also boarded a float along Broadway.

‘I’ve never been to a parade – ever – and I’m glad it’s this one,’ Lee said. 

Knicks icon Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier was in the first car of the parade, leading the players up Broadway’s iconic ‘Canyon of Heroes’ in a stylish convertible wearing his championship rings. Frazier won the NBA title in 1970 and 1973 but never got the parade he deserved.

Head coach Mike Brown sang ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ in a wild moment before they had even boarded the floats and the Knicks’ billionaire owner James Dolan fist pumped with the crowd.

Mikal Bridges brought his dog Sonny, an eight-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, along for the ride and carried a video camera with him to ensure he could soak up the remarkable day.

Anunoby, who scored the go-ahead basket in Game 4 on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left, left his float to interact with fans, holding the NBA Cup in-season championship trophy in one hand and a bottle of Patron tequila in the other. 

Anunoby welcomed New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani onto his float during the early stages of the parade. Mamdani, a passionate Knicks fans, was also caught on camera dancing with Towns. 

The Knicks’ victory – after a 53-year drought – has electrified New Yorkers in recent weeks, and Mamdani predicted that the parade might be one of the biggest in the city’s history.

The NYPD announced that all the viewing pens along the route were full less than three hours before the procession started, packed by thousands of fans who flooded into the city last night and in the early hours.

Alicia Keys, the singer who collaborated with Jay-Z on the New York-loving 2009 hit ‘Empire State of Mind,’ performed at the special City Hall ceremony where Mamdani gave the Knicks roster the keys to the city.

Police deployed 10,000 officers to secure the event, which followed chaotic street celebrations and some violence during the Knicks’ run to victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

The Fire Department said at least nine people were taken to hospitals but didn´t immediately respond to a request for more details. 

‘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 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.

Towns and Mamdani were pictured dancing together on a float as they went down Broadway

Knicks icon Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier, who won two NBA titles with the Knicks, was in the first car

Millions of Knicks fans are in New York to celebrate their NBA champions in Thursday’s parade

Fans scrambled to get a quick glance of their heroes, using anything they could to get a view

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

People streamed into the area on crammed subways, looking to get as close as they could or find any elevated spot to catch a glimpse.

Several blocks from the parade route, fans stood shoulder to shoulder – sometimes on each other´s shoulders – or climbed traffic lights, sanitation trucks or Knicks-colored buckets they´d brought from home. Far away on the Brooklyn Bridge, people gathered just to hear the loudspeakers.

At one point before the parade, a small group of people were crushed against a barrier near Fulton Street, a key subway hub, pinned between a swelling crowd and a group of police officers shoving the barrier to keep fans penned in. 

‘I had to be here today,’ said Shareefa Wallace, 34, who got up at 3am to make her way from Long Island. She grew up in the city going to Knicks games, and she sported the souvenir jersey of one of the legends from that era, Patrick Ewing.

Nearby bars and delis filled with fans, some wishing they’d arrived at dawn. But many seemed at peace with the fact that they would only experience the parade from a distance.

‘We’re fine with the fray, we just want to be with the New York energy and the New York vibe,’ said Jean Strong, who came to the parade from Harlem with his nephew and sister.