Throngs of New Yorkers gathered in Downtown Manhattan to celebrate the New York Knicks winning the NBA finals, after the team defeated the San Antonio Spurs on their fifth game last Saturday.
This historic moment marked the team’s first NBA championship in 53 years, so to celebrate, Mayor Zohran Mamdani organized a Knicks Ticker-Tape Parade, which flooded the streets with blue and orange today—a colour story that we’ll likely be seeing for weeks to come. As Mamdani took part in the celebrations, he was joined by none other than his wife, Rama Duwaji—also known as New York City’s first lady, who, since emerging in the public eye, has proven herself to be one of the best-dressed women of the city. Thus, it should come as no surprise that she showed her Knicks pride in chic, incomparable fashion. Never the type to settle for a plain ol’ piece of merch, Duwaji slipped on a patchwork top designed by Miss Claire Sullivan. The funky piece consisted of a white Knicks-themed NBA Finals shirt up top, tied on one shoulder for an asymmetric effect. Other versions of the same shirt in blue and orange were stitched onto the bottom hem to create a sort of makeshift sarong.
The procession started at Battery Park around 10 a.m. and moved through the Canyon of Heroes toward City Hall, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani presented the team with ceremonial keys to the city. Fans lined the streets shoulder to shoulder, some climbing traffic lights and sanitation trucks just to catch a glimpse of the trophy. The energy was electric, with confetti in Knicks blue and orange swirling through the air as massive cheers of “Let’s go, Knicks” erupted from the crowd.
Jalen Brunson, the Finals MVP, held the championship trophy high, and even Spike Lee was on a float savoring the moment he’d waited his entire life to experience. Fat Joe and Remy Ma performed “Lean Back” for the hyped spectators, and cameras captured Mayor Mamdani doing the dance with Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns on the team’s float.