In the early morning hours of June 18, millions showed up, mostly wearing orange and blue Knicks gear, climbed scaffolding, and hung from lampposts to enthusiastically welcome home their beloved basketball championship team at last week’s parade and City Hall ceremony.
The New York Knicks’ ticker-tape parade kicked off near Battery Park and ran along the “Canyon of Heroes,” concluding at City Hall. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani awarded Keys to the City to players and management to honor their win in the 2026 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals Championship and the first ticker-tape parade in Knicks’ history.
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From left to right: Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr., Brooklyn Senator Zellnor Myrie, Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Osse at the Knicks ceremony at City Hall on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
An excited crowd enjoyed the impromptu concert at the Knicks celebration on June 18 (Ariama C. Long photo) -
New York Knicks pose with their 2026 trophies at their City Hall celebration on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
Kids dance group performs at the Knicks celebration at City Hall on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
A view of Broadway lined with expectant Knicks fans awaiting parade floats on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
A photo of the Knicks trophies on the stage at their City Hall celebration on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
New York Knicks pose with their 2026 trophies as confetti rains down at their City Hall celebration. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
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New York Knicks pose with their 2026 trophies as confetti rains down at their City Hall celebration. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
New York Knicks pose with their 2026 trophies as confetti rains down at their City Hall celebration. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
New York native and grammy-award winner Alicia Keys performed at the Knicks celebration on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
A view of Broadway lined with expectant Knicks fans awaiting parade floats on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
Former NBA forward and New York playground legend Walter “The Truth” Berry at the Knicks celebration at City Hall on June 18, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
The New York Knicks team celebrated winning the 2026 NBA championship with a parade and received keys to the city on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
Knicks EVP and Senior Advisor William Wesley (left) receives a key from NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani (right) on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
An excited crowd takes photos of the New York Knicks players arriving at the City Hall celebration after the parade on June 18, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
An excited crowd takes photos of the New York Knicks players arriving at the City Hall celebration after the parade on June 18, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
Many celebrities, like rapper Fabulous, Remy Ma, Fat Joe, singers Mary J. Blige and Teyana Taylor, attended the Knicks City Hall celebration on June 18, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
New York Knicks NBA point guard Jose “Grand Theft Alvarado” Alvarado (left) receives a key from NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani (right) on June 18, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
The New York Knicks team celebrate winning the 2026 NBA championship with a parade and receive keys to the city on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gives a stirring speech at the Knicks celebration on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo) -
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gives a stirring speech at the Knicks celebration on June 18. (Ariama C. Long photo)
“The Knicks did not just win for New York City — they won like New York City,” Mamdani said in a stirring speech at the ceremony. “What is New York if not your back up against the wall, a dream that feels just out of reach, a rent payment you don’t know how you will ever make? What is New York if not 99.6 percent of the world stacked against you? And who are New Yorkers if not people who hear those odds and smile? Who look at a 0.4 percent chance of success and ask, ‘Why’re you giving me a head start?’ This is our city. This is our team. For 53 years, we watched. For 53 years, we waited. Now, we’ve won.”
At least 600 avid Knick fans were also able to attend through the mayor’s lottery system, which ensured tickets were free and accessible to working-class New Yorkers. This included parks department “blacksmiths” who repair the basketball hoops at city parks, four members and the coach of the City University of New York (CUNY) wheelchair basketball team, 32-year-old “Good Samaritan” Balladoli Mieses; and 23-year-old Bangladeshi-American Ahnaf Hossain, who came up with the now famous “Knicks in Four” chant.
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