New York got its parade. Jalen Brunson, the guy who willed this franchise back to relevance, walked the Larry O'Brien trophy up the Canyon of Heroes in front of a city that genuinely lost its mind. Fans climbed fire escapes in SoHo to get a better angle. They scaled traffic light poles at Trinity Place. A Knicks float rolling down Broadway drew a roar that, according to people actually standing there, you felt in your chest. Timothée Chalamet grabbed a mic. Avery Wilson performed. Mikal Bridges showed up in Pacome Dadiet's #4 jersey because why not. Tyler Kolek — who played 62 games for the world champion Knicks — got escorted by NYPD who apparently didn't recognize him from the fans behind the barricade. This was the whole thing.
Brunson hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy on the parade float, confetti everywhere, city at his feet.
The crowd was absurd. Double-decker buses reading '2026 NBA Champions New York Knicks' crawled past barricades packed ten-deep while people hung off every available surface to film it. The Pine Street stretch was wall-to-wall orange and blue. One woman in a blue wig climbed a traffic signal pole at Trinity and Thames and the crowd below went feral. This is what 52 years of waiting looks like when it finally breaks.
Street-level footage of the Knicks float rolling down Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes, fans filming from balconies as confetti falls.
And then there's Portnoy, who found a way to have problems with a championship parade, which honestly is on-brand. He was annoyed about banners on display during the title run that listed 'JONES 33' — Knicks legend Bobby Jones wore #1, and #33 is a retired number. 'I hate casuals,' he posted, because no moment is too celebratory for a proper pedant take. But that's Barstool house stuff. The bigger grievance Portnoy aired was about the politicians.
Mamdani isn't the only politician who does this — every mayor, every council member, every candidate with a camera crew shows up to championship parades like they personally coached the team. Portnoy's point is blunter than most: the guy couldn't name a single Knick besides Brunson during a debate last year, and now he's soaking up the crowd on Broadway. You can decide whether that's authentic fandom or the most transparent thing in American politics. Portnoy decided. Either way, Brunson doesn't care. He had the trophy. The city had its parade. The politicians can fight over the photo ops — the Knicks already got the ring.