March Madness! 5 Amazing Moments From the Knicks’ Parade

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June 18, 2026June 18, 2026By Admin
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March Madness! 5 Amazing Moments From the Knicks’ Parade

The New York Knicks painted the town blue-and-orange as their long-sought championship was commemorated up the Canyon of Heroes.

New York Knicks fans brought the ultimate Garden party outside on Thursday.

New York Knicks Jalen Brunson Parade
(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

The Canyon of Heroes was truly grand on Thursday, as the city reveled in its first NBA championship in over five decades with a joyfully raucous ticker-tape parade that heralded the Knicks’ 4-1 Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs. 

Appropriately, the Knicks had one last brilliant defensive performance in store, as many had to be turned away from the city’s designated “viewing pens” despite showing up hours in advance. That did little to curb enthusiasm throughout the city, which enjoyed such a celebration for the third consecutive year: the Knicks’ parade followed the New York Liberty’s triumph in the 2024 WNBA Finals while Gotham FC made the trek last fall after winning the NWSL title.

With the city coated in blue and orange, BIL looks back at some of the top moments from the proceedings …

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Capped Out

True to their humorously vindicative form, Knicks fans were more than happy to remind naysayers of their false prophecies. Chief among them was former Liberty star Becky Hammon, who has been roundly reminded of her prediction that the Knicks would be unable to win with an undersized star like Jalen Brunson running the show. The rest, as they say, is history.

If anyone has earned the right to verbally fire back, it’s no doubt Brunson, who has double-fisted the Larry O’Brien and Bill Russell titles after also winning the Finals’ MVP award in emphatic fashion. Brunson finally talked when addressing his adoring public at City Hall by encouraging those in a similar situation to stay quiet.

“There’s a lot of people that had a lot of negative stuff to say,” Brunson said with Manhattan hanging on his every word.. “There are a lot of people who have a lot of opinions, but when you prove them wrong, you don’t have to say s*** to them. Nah. They don’t deserve it.”

Brunson was obviously one of the star attractions of the proceeds and he has frequently filled double-duty as the Knicks’ celebration tour gets underway: he and teammate/”Roommates Show” co-host Josh Hart threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium less than 24 hours beforehand and the point guard continued to play co-host on Thursday, as he was flanked on his float by family and celebrity Knicks fans Mariska Hargitay and Spike Lee. 

In Tyler We Trusted

The Knicks got by thanks to the efforts of a Big East alum … also Brunson, Hart, and Mikal Bridges were on the team.

In video captured by Kimberley A. Martin of ESPN, New York’s Finest nearly contained one of the New York’s brightest future: reserve guard Tyler Kolek briefly left his perch to celebrate with fans at the parade barriers and was accosted by police officers who assumed an unauthorized sixth man was trying to join the proceedings. The Marquette rep Kolek appeared to take the misunderstanding in stride, remarking “I swear I’m on the team bro” in a post-parade X reading.

Though Kolek, a second-year second-round pick, was mostly a bystander during the championship run, his work offered effective foreshadowing: his Christmas season efforts during the successful NBA Cup title chase also ended against the Spurs. Kolek proudly brandished the in-season honor during the parade, as the Knicks became the first to prevail in both December and June.

Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson

No one in their right mind would rank the individual Knicks by how “deserving” each one was of the  recent title. Having said that, few paid more pressing dues than Mitchell Robinson, the longest-tenured Knick that had to endure some brutal times at the tip of the decade before finding hardwood nirvana.

It probably won’t stand next to the metropolitan covenants established by Mark Messier and Joe Namath but Robinson followed through on one of the longer-gestating promises on the New York ledgers: true to his space-taking form, Robinson brought in his beloved pickup

Robinson is a free agent and he could be one of the primary casualties if the Knicks keep engaging in financial prudence away from the second apron. If this is truly the end of Robinson’s New York tour, he undeniably went out on top.

What Brown Did For Them

For as much pressure and flack that a ringless Brunson faced–and would’ve continued to face–it almost paled compared to the expectations placed upon Knicks head coach Mike Brown.

Unable to win a title (in the top suit/quarter-zip) with the prime talents of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and more at his disposal, Brown faced instant scrutiny as the successor to Tom Thibodeau, the man helped the Knicks break the Eastern Conference Finals ceiling before his shocking sacking weeks after. 

While Brown didn’t exactly confront his naysayers, he no doubt held a spot at or near the top of the giddy power rankings. He ditched his gameday wear for a Knicks shirt bearing the No. 10, a reference not to franchise legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier but the “10-week” abstinence that team owner James Dolan impressed upon his employees when this magical run began. Brown kept the good vibes rolling when he took the podium at City Hall and beyond, getting the crowd to join in his traditional chant of the Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out,” much to the mock embarrassment of his star protege Brunson.

Keys and Keys

Much like the Knicks themselves, Thursday’s ceremonies knew how to finish.

Presented with keys (to the city) by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Knicks were then presented with Keys. Born in Hell’s Kitchen, lauded singer/songwriter Alicia Keys serenaded the city with her hit track “Empire State of Mind,” which got the Knicks’ roster rolling better than any Brown concert ever could.

Before Keys engaged in some of her most famous verses, she paid tribute to fellow metropolitan crooner Billy Joel by signing select verses from his similarly-titled “Empire State of the Mind.” Further strengthening the Knicks comparisons, Keys ensured it was a family affair, as her teenage son Egypt joined her on the piano for her Joel cover.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags

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