Manhattan turns orange and blue in the massive Knicks parade.
New York, June 18 (EFE)
The New York Knicks celebrated their first NBA title since 1973 on Thursday with a massive parade that painted Lower Manhattan orange and blue and transformed Broadway into a sea of ​​people, fans, music, and celebrities.
Downtown was completely awash in the team’s colors, with long lines of fans crowding the streets to watch the parade as rolls of toilet paper flew through the air in celebration.
Several marching bands also joined the parade, marking the passage of the official vehicles at various points along the route.
The city deployed a large security operation, with more than 10,000 officers, the largest number ever assigned to a planned event in New York, following the incidents that occurred during the spontaneous celebrations last weekend after the championship win.
The areas designated for the public filled up early in the morning, and according to the New York Police Department (NYPD), by 7:25 a.m., no new fans were allowed entry due to the overwhelming crowds.
One fan, Michael, from Long Island, told EFE that it was much better “to wait six hours today than to have to wait again for another championship, which who knows when it will happen.”
“Since yesterday, when I saw the security measures and the excitement that was building, I didn’t even consider going to stand in line. In the end, I arrived this morning at 7:30 a.m. to get a good spot and enjoy the atmosphere,” said Sebastian, a Manhattan native.
Meanwhile, the players traveled in several open vehicles, each identified with the names of the team’s key players, including OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, accompanied by the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who chatted with the champions during the drive.
Mamdani, wearing a Josh Hart jersey over his suit, was seen waving to the crowd as the parade slowly made its way through a massive crowd overflowing Broadway before returning to City Hall, where he is scheduled to present the team with the keys to the city at the parade’s conclusion.
Center Mitchell Robinson was another highlight, arriving in his own customized truck with orange interiors. Hurt was also seen smoking a cigar aboard one of the floats, in one of the most talked-about images on social media.
Among the attendees were regular front-row celebrities at Madison Square Garden, such as filmmakers Spike Lee and Ben Stiller—who is preparing a documentary about the team for HBO, as he confirmed in a recent interview—actor Timothée Chalamet, and rapper Fat Joe, of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent and a Bronx native.
Some fans not only got a close look at the team’s star player, Jalen Brunson, but even got to touch the Larry O’Brien Trophy, named after the NBA commissioner who served from 1975 to 1984.
Along the parade route, players and celebrities greeted fans, signed autographs, and posed for photos. Some even climbed traffic lights and signs to get the best view of the parade.
