1 million New Yorkers celebrated the New York Knicks’ first NBA championship in 53 years on Thursday, June 18. Fans lined up since Wednesday to witness the ticker-tape championship parade in Manhattan on Thursday morning.
The Knicks’ No. 1 fan Spike Lee rode on the float in the parade. Fans started a petition for the Knicks to present Lee with his own championship ring. Hometown girl Alicia Keys sang “Empire State of Mind,” her classic duet with Jay-Z off his album The Blueprint 3.
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
R&B singer Mary J. Blige was among the fans celebrating the historic event with Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Mary J. Blige was spotted at the New York Knicks championship parade posing for a picture with Karl-Anthony Towns while both held the Eastern Conference trophy. pic.twitter.com/BuTwlpJLNu
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) June 18, 2026
The parade wound through Lower Manhattan to City Hall, where the players were presented with symbolic keys to the city by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The mayor wore a Knicks jersey over a white shirt and tie. His wife Rama Duwaji wore a custom Miss Claire Sullivan dress made from confiscated bootleg NBA Finals T-shirts.
Other stars at the parade included Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Edie Falco, and many more proudly showing support for their team.
Ride along on the Knicks parade float with us. ?? pic.twitter.com/lymVa042Le
— New York Post (@nypost) June 18, 2026
Fans who spent the night near the parade route celebrated with the mayor and the Knicks. One couple got married at the parade after being engaged for 53 years.
The Knicks finally won a championship and this couple decided it was finally time to get married.
After a 53-year engagement, they are tying the knot on parade day, with the bride (@with_lovestephaniedenise) wearing a custom dress she designed herself. pic.twitter.com/5ZIQlFA8fu
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) June 18, 2026
But other fans expressed their disappointment when they couldn’t get near the parade. One fan wrote: “Wildly disappointing. My family flew up here for the parade and we can’t even get in. I just feel like this was terribly mismanaged.”
Another person wrote: “Got there at 6 and it was cooked. Seems like I just tried the wrong entrance. I know people who were where I was at 5 and didn’t get in and people who got to other entrances after me and got in.”
A third person commented: “Fulton entrance was ransacked. They didn’t let us in an we were here before 6am.” However, New Yorkers criticized out-of-towners for being unprepared.
One person tweeted: “I’m confused did people think they were going to just get to walk up at 10 with a lawn chair?”
I’m confused did people think they were going to just get to walk up at 10 with a lawn chair? https://t.co/Q8qcp4iyCi
— Eddie Gonzalez (@bansky) June 18, 2026
NYPD arrested a student for trying to get to school via Knicks Parade rout…
But allowed a group of kids to do the same thing ? pic.twitter.com/JNQkyeurlp
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) June 18, 2026
Wemby! ?
NY KNICKS PARADE @nyknicks @fox5ny #knicks #parade pic.twitter.com/ydQw7jcOF7
— Linda Schmidt (@LSchmidtFox5) June 18, 2026
Look at the thousands perhaps tens of thousands of people who can't get into the Parade from an overlooking hotel above Fulton in Lower Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/2CEryJ1Hbb
— Henry Rosoff (@HenryRosoff) June 18, 2026
Mitchell Robinson made sure to get his truck in the Knicks championship parade pic.twitter.com/jS0H8HxSgk
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 18, 2026