The NBA champion New York Knicks have officially kicked off their long-awaited victory parade, drawing millions of jubilant fans into the streets of Manhattan.
Following hours of disorder along Broadway, players climbed aboard their open-top buses shortly after 10:30 a.m. to salute the roaring New York crowd, despite a chaotic lead-up that included crushes, arrests and several hospitalizations.
Thousands of Knicks fans had camped out overnight for a chance to witness the historic celebration, and stars including Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby appeared in high spirits as they made their way with supporters from Battery Park to City Hall on Thursday morning.
Karl-Anthony Towns was spotted puffing on an oversized cigar while carrying the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals trophy, prompting loud cheers from fans thrilled to catch their first sight of the team.
Head coach Mike Brown added to the carnival atmosphere by belting out ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ in a lively scene before the team had even stepped onto the floats, while Knicks owner James Dolan joined in by pumping his fist toward the crowd.
Mikal Bridges also made the celebration more personal by bringing along his dog, Sonny, an eight-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, and carried a video camera so he could capture every moment of the unforgettable day.
Karl-Anthony Towns smokes a huge cigar as the Knicks started their NBA title parade
Hollywood star Timothee Chalamet greeted fans as he made his way to the start of the parade
Ben Stiller, who is making a documentary about the Knicks’ success, shakes hands with fans
Millions of fans arrived in downtown Manhattan in the early hours of Thursday to get a spot
Mike Brown sang ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’, while Mikal Bridges brought his dog, Sonny, along
OG Anunoby, who made some decisive plays during the NBA Finals, oozed cool in all black
Josh Hart, who threw the first pitch at the Yankees on Wednesday, walked through the crowds
Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson poses for a selfie with a fan before getting on his parade float
Hollywood stars Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller were also in attendance after being almost ever-present during the playoff run. Fellow Knicks superfans Tracy Morgan and Chris Rock also arrived before the parade started.
Knicks icon Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier was in the first car of the parade, leading the players up Broadway’s iconic ‘Canyon of Heroes’. He won the NBA title in 1970 and 1973 but never got the parade he deserved.
The Knicks’ victory – after a 53-year drought – has electrified New Yorkers in recent weeks, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani has predicted that the parade might be one of the biggest in the city’s history.
City police said all the viewing pens along the route were full less than three hours before the procession, packed by thousands of fans who flooded into the city.
Alicia Keys, the singer who collaborated with Jay-Z on the New York-loving 2009 hit ‘Empire State of Mind,’ has been tapped to perform.
‘How could I not?’ Keys said Wednesday in a social media video that featured her on the phone with Knicks forward OG Anunoby.
Police plan to deploy 10,000 officers to secure the event, which follows ebullient but sometimes chaotic street celebrations and some violence during the Knicks’ run to victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
‘We want people to enjoy this moment,’ Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a planning meeting Wednesday, ‘but public safety comes first.’
Some 650 sanitation workers have been assigned to clean up what could be tens of thousands of pounds (kilograms) of debris, if recent history is any guide.
Thousands of fans slept rough on the streets overnight to get the best viewing spots, while millions more have descended on the city to get a glimpse of their heroes.
Millions of Knicks fans are in New York to celebrate their NBA champions in Thursday’s parade
There were chaotic scenes on the subway as the systems quickly became overwhelmed
Fans were forced to scale garbage trucks and street poles to try and get a glimpse of the team
That caused confusion and disorder on the streets as hoards of fans battled to find any space they could, while others reported a disastrous lack of organization and conflicting information from police.
Video showed restless fans arguing and huge groups stranded without anywhere to go. Another image showed police had arrested somebody while some claimed fights were breaking out.
Other images shared on social media showed a male fan receiving medical attention from EMTs in the street while others reported people ‘passing out’ as they waited for the parade to begin.
‘People are having a fit, and they’re fighting because they can’t get in,’ one fan told The New York Post.
‘I’m going to call Mamdani’s office and complain – the police on the street have blamed him, but this is on [NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch],’ she added.
