New York City to celebrate Knicks NBA Finals victory in ticker-tape parade
New Yorkers will line the streets of lower Manhattan Thursday morning to watch the New York Knicks parade down Broadway to celebrate the team's first NBA championship since 1973.
Knicks point guard Jose Alvarado joined "Good Morning America" ahead of the parade and said getting to celebrate with fans in his hometown is extra meaningful to him.
"Knicks, we won, and that's amazing. But I'm from here, and it's like, it's just home, different," Alvarado said. "I've been a Knicks fan since I was born, right? My parents [have] been Knicks fans. Just seeing this progress, that everything happened, can't really be put in words. It's just special to me. It's real special."
The ticker-tape parade is scheduled to kick off near a downtown park at 10 a.m. ET and work its way north up Broadway, coming to an end at City Hall.
All of the viewing pens were full before 8 a.m. ET, according to the New York Police Department.
"No one else will be allowed in the viewing area. As a reminder, if you leave the viewing pens, you will not be allowed reentry," the NYPD said in a statement.
Ahead of the parade, Mayor Zohran Mamdani also joined "GMA" and called the event "a parade of immense excitement across our city, and frankly, even across the region."
"It could very well end up being the largest parade in New York City history," the mayor said.
Mamdani is set to hold a ceremony at the end of the parade, awarding the team -- which includes star players Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby -- keys to the city, one of which he showed on "GMA."
"This is the key to the city we will be presenting to each of the players and it is the first key that our administration is giving out, since it's been only six months," Mamdani said. "It is designed by Azra Khafan. It is manufactured by him, designed by Aneesh Bhoothaphy, and the typography of the key is actually designed by Tobias Frere-Jones, who designed the typography of the 9/11 museum."
Alicia Keys will also take the stage at City Hall for a live performance of "Empire State of Mind" to celebrate the team.
"To see great New York teams have that moment and for it to finally be our time, you know, it's one of those things you always dream of as a kid, especially growing up in the area," said Karl-Anthony Towns, a New Jersey native, on "GMA" this week.
The ticker-tape parade is a first for the Knicks, who did not celebrate with the famed tradition during their last wins in 1970 or 1973, according to the AP, who noted the winning team celebrated at other New York City locations instead.
The last ticker-tape parade to come for the city belonged to the New York Liberty in 2024 following their WNBA championship win, according to Downtown Alliance, which compiles research on the parades.
The Downtown Alliance notes the tradition of the ticker-tape parade began in 1886 when Wall Street workers threw ticker-tape out the window to celebrate the Statue of Liberty unveiling.
The victory events will be heavily secured, drawing the largest number of police officers ever assigned to a planned event, the NYPD said Wednesday.
More than 10,000 members of the NYPD will safeguard the route.
The celebration comes after an awe-inspiring playoff run which saw the Knicks secure the team's first NBA title in more than 50 years with a 4-1 series win over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks' starting five joined "GMA" Monday and discussed what the parade and what the championship means to the city.
"You never know if you're even going to be able to attend the parade and get close enough to see the greats, but to be the ones actually doing the path, and following behind some amazing legends before us in New York history. I think it's going to be something really, really special," Towns said.
Knicks guard Mikal Bridges added with a smile, "I just want to bring my dog on the float."
Towns also touched on how much this championship means to a city and fanbase that success evaded for so long, saying it "was healing happening in real life, in real time."
"Knicks fans have been asking for this moment for 27 years, since 1999," he said, referencing the team's last Finals appearance. "This is really a once-in-a-lifetime event you're watching in New York sports history."
In an interview that aired Tuesday, Knicks owner James Dolan also told WFAN that the team accepted an invitation to visit the White House to celebrate their championship title.
"We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details," Dolan said. "I invited the president to come to come down for the game, right? He is a friend. I've known him for 30 years and I'm very proud to bring the team to the White House."
