As Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and the rest of the New York Knicks soak up the shine of their world championship rings, Daniella Philip is celebrating a sparkling Big Apple moment of her own.
“We got engaged on top of a police car during the Knicks parade,” Philip, 34, told The Post exclusively. “It felt like I was inside a New York City princess fairytale.”
Perched atop an NYPD vehicle, the emotional bride-to-be cried out “Yes!” as her Queens-born fiancé, Klarel Avin, 40, got down on one knee and proposed with a multi-carat diamond ring — all while an estimated 2 million cheering Knicks fans celebrated around them.
“I’m from New York, I’ve been a Knicks fan forever, it was their parade, it was Daniella’s 34th birthday, we were on a cop car, the whole city was outside. It was amazing,” said Avin, a barber who recently moved to Tampa, Florida, with Philip, a cranial prosthesis specialist.
The couple, both with deep New York roots, had driven 18 hours to be part of Thursday’s ticker-tape celebration — with Philip having no clue that an unforgettable surprise was waiting for her amid the festivities.
Love, like the more than 1.25 tons of blue, white and orange confetti blasted from party cannons, remains in the air as New York City keeps reveling in the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Championship victory after 53 years of heartbreak.
As one longtime couple spilled into the streets to mark the title with a “symbolic” wedding ceremony, younger romantics — including Jillian and Andrew Solomon — leaned into the Knicks-mania by getting married at City Hall and joining the parade still dressed in their wedding attire.
“Walking to the courthouse through thousands of Knicks fans is something we’ll never forget,” Jillian, 27, previously told The Post. “We love this city, and the best people in the world are here.”
Philip and Avin agree.
The twosome, who met via online dating in 2023, initially bonded over their shared love of New York, entrepreneurship and, of course, the Knicks.
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“We love watching them play, their tenacity. We’re watching the finals, and I said to Daniella, ‘They’re going to win the championship, and we’re going to New York,’” Avin recalled to The Post. “The timing was perfect because, not only did our team win, but the parade was scheduled on her birthday, and I’d just received a call that the jeweler had just finished making her custom ring.”
The ring, which set Avin back a cool “five figures,” is a 9.16 carat masterwork, featuring a baguette diamond centerpiece surrounded by glistening diamond clusters and engraved with a puzzle piece.
“I always say she’s the missing piece to my puzzle,” said Avin, who began planning his proposal five months ago without any inkling that his request for Philip’s hand in marriage would make history.
It was a slam-dunk success that the object of his affection says left her awestruck with an otherworldly sense of elated anxiety.
“We were in the crowd, and it was so intense that we just decided to hop on top of a car, not knowing it was a police car,” Philip laughed, claiming she just wanted a better view of Brunson and his teammates as their floats floated through lower Manhattan.
“Suddenly, I see Klarel whispering to our friends, Ben and Maurice, then he starts yelling into the crowd, ‘Everybody, check this out, check it out, check it out.’ And I’m, like, ‘What the f- -k is going on?’” she remembered. “Then he turned around and got on his knee with the ring.”
Stealing the spotlight away from the Knicks, and becoming the city’s luckiest lady — even for only a few fleeting moments — sent Philip into next-level nirvana.
It was only when an NYPD officer congratulated them on their engagement — and advised them against damaging his patrol car — that the lovebird realized they were standing atop a city-issued cruiser. (It’s a no-no that could have resulted in some legal action.)
“I was shaking. I wanted to cry, laugh, smile. I was speechless,” she said. “I’ve never felt such intense emotions. I’ve never felt so loved in my life.”
Now, with nothing left to do but plan a wedding to rival the extravagance of their extraordinary engagement, the couple tells The Post they’re looking forward to incorporating the Knicks into all their future marital milestones.
“We’d definitely would love to get married in New York. We’ll be doing a lot of planning over the next year,” said Avin, hopeful to swap “I Do’s” sometime between 2027 and 2028.
“And when we have our first baby,” added Philip, eager to jump into mommy-mode, “It’s going to be Knicks-themed with blue and orange everything.”
