WATCH: New York celebrates NBA champions NY Knicks with parade, keys to the city
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson held up the golden NBA championship trophy for a forest of outstretched hands to touch as fans celebrated the New York Knicks' first title in 53 years with a booming parade through Manhattan's skyscraper-flanked "Canyon of Heroes."
"Damn, New York, we really did it," Brunson, the finals MVP, said at a celebration at City Hall. "Somehow, someway, I knew we were going to find a way to get this done."
WATCH: Monica McNutt reflects on the decades-long wait for a Knicks championship
Moments later, Mayor Zohran Mamdani presented keys to the city to the Knicks' players, coaches, owners and staff. Wearing a team jersey under his suit jacket, Mamdani said he and other fans "waited because we knew deep down in our sick, suffering hearts" the Knicks would someday win.
Blue and orange confetti swirled through the air during the parade. Massive cheers of "Let's go, Knicks!" and "Knicks in five!" kept erupting.
And OG Anunoby, who scored the go-ahead basket in Game 4 of the finals on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left, left his parade float to interact with fans, holding the NBA Cup in-season championship trophy in one hand and a bottle of Patron tequila in the other.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown pose with a key to the city at New York City Hall during the parade. Photo by Dylan Martinez/ Reuters
Director Spike Lee, perhaps the team's most iconic fan, was on a float with Brunson, savoring the moment. "I've never been to a parade — ever — and I'm glad it's this one," Lee said.
The MVP's mom, Sandra Brunson, wore a shirt with photos of Jalen and husband Rick, who played for the Knicks and is an assistant on coach Mike Brown's staff. She echoed her son's words, saying: "It was all worth it."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns celebrate at New York City Hall during the parade. Photo by Dylan Martinez/ Reuters
Karl-Anthony Towns hoisted the Eastern Conference championship trophy and a cigar on top of a parade bus while Mamdani danced. Later, Towns approached a group of kids with the NBA trophy to let them get their hands on it, bringing joyful screams.
Knicks fans turn out in force
People streamed into lower Manhattan on crammed subways. Several blocks from the parade route, fans stood shoulder to shoulder — sometimes on each other's shoulders — or climbed traffic lights and sanitation trucks. Far away on the Brooklyn Bridge, people gathered just to hear the loudspeakers.
"I had to be here today," said Shareefa Wallace, 34, who got up at 3 a.m. to make her way from suburban Long Island. She grew up in the city going to Knicks games, and she sported the souvenir jersey of a legend from that era, Patrick Ewing.
Owner James Dolan thanked fans for waiting more than a half-century. Brown encouraged fans to keep their energy going "because this championship is about you guys."
'The New York vibe'
Nearby bars and delis filled with fans, some wishing they'd arrived at dawn. But many seemed at peace with only experiencing the parade from a distance.
"We just want to be with the New York energy and the New York vibe," said Jean Strong, who came to the parade from Harlem with his nephew and sister.
Terrell Emerson, a chef who grew up in Queens, said he drove from Maryland with his daughter Madison — named in honor of the Knicks' home arena, Madison Square Garden.
Beaming, Madison held a handwritten sign announcing she'd skipped her fifth-grade graduation to be there.
Stars and Knicks legends
Knicks great Walt "Clyde" Frazier — a member of the '70s champion teams — led the parade in a stylish convertible, wearing his NBA title rings. Frazier had late teammates and coaches on his mind.
"They would be amazed at what has happened to the Knicks and how they've really captivated the city this year," Frazier said. "This has exceeded any expectations I ever thought that we'd have."
Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Jon Stewart, Mariska Hargitay, Tracy Morgan and other celebrities joined the party, while Knicks play-by-play announcer Mike Breen emceed the City Hall ceremony.
Alicia Keys, the singer who collaborated with Jay-Z on the 2009 hit "Empire State of Mind," performed a medley that mixed her song with the classic "New York, New York."
A parade decades in the making
The mere fact that the parade is happening is historic in itself. Although the Knicks won the championship twice in the 1970s, the city didn't host a parade for them either time. Then-Mayor John Lindsay had cut down on ticker-tape extravaganzas for financial and other reasons. Instead, he held a 1970 reception at the mayoral mansion and a jam-packed ceremony in 1973 outside City Hall.
This time, the city went all out. A police officer could be seen holding a sign reading, "This is really happening."
And a massive security operation
Officials said 10,000 police officers were deployed to secure the event, which follows ebullient but sometimes chaotic street celebrations and some violence during the Knicks' title run, including a five-game final against San Antonio.
The Fire Department said at least nine people were taken to hospitals but didn't immediately respond to a request for more details.
At one point before the parade, a small group of people were crushed against a barrier near Fulton Street, a key subway hub, pinned between a swelling crowd and a group of police officers shoving the barrier.
Some 650 sanitation workers were assigned to clean up what could be tens of thousands of pounds (kilograms) of debris, if recent history is any guide.
Why does New York throw ticker-tape parades?
Ticker-tape parades derive their name from the narrow strips of paper used by telegraph-era "stock ticker" machines. New York brokerage firm workers tossed the paper from office windows during parades in the late 19th century, adding a swirling spectacle.
Over the years, especially up to the mid-1960s, the city rolled out ticker-tape parades for visiting foreign leaders, historic anniversaries and feats in aviation, war, sports, music, space travel and more.
The Knicks' parade was the 210th, coming after a ticker-tape bash for the WNBA's New York Liberty in 2024.
Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Julie Walker in New York and AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in Southampton, New York, contributed.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
