June 18, 2026
Delirious New York Knicks fans flooded the streets of Lower Manhattan on Thursday for a ticker-tape parade celebrating the newly crowned NBA champions, capping a dream season more than five decades after the team last won a title.
The stretch of Broadway known as the "Canyon of Heroes" was a sea of orange and blue, as throngs of people gathered in the pre-dawn hours — with some camping out overnight — to secure a spot behind police barricades for what Mayor Zohran Mamdani said could be the largest parade in the city's history.
The Knicks' dominant run through the NBA playoffs electrified this sports-mad city that had grown used to falling short year after year. The team's 15-3 playoff record featured a number of improbable comebacks, culminating with Saturday's victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals over the San Antonio Spurs that ended its 53-year title drought.
Trip Kesler, a Long Island native who lives in Florida, flew to Virginia to meet her brother before they drove north for the parade. The two secured a prime spot along the parade route after waking up at 3am.
