NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani hands the 2026 NBA champs keys to the city during the title parade.
Upcoming New York forecast: orange and blue skies all summer long.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Parade Scenes: Inside the Knicks’ epic ride through the Canyon of Heroes
City Hall Celebration: From keys to the city to Alicia Keys, the Knicks’ parade culminated in style
NYC Snapshots: A few of our favorite frames from New York’s long-awaited victory lap
Draft Week: What you need to know before the 2026 NBA Draft tips off next Tuesday
Free Agency Lookahead: Schuhmann’s 20 stats for 20 potential upcoming free agents
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The 2026 NBA Draft begins next week at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with Round 1 just four days away.
- Tuesday, June 23: Round 1 (8 ET, ABC/ESPN)
- Wednesday, June 24: Round 2 (8 ET, ESPN)
What’s Next: Below are more key dates to know, with NBA free agency and Summer League just around the corner.
- June 30: Each NBA team may begin negotiating with all other upcoming free agents
- July 3-6: California Classic Summer League
- July 4, 6-7: Salt Lake City Summer League
- July 6: Each NBA team may begin signing free agents to contracts
- July 9-19: 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
1. EPIC SCENES FROM NEW YORK’S CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE
The last time the Knicks won an NBA championship, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was 39 cents.
“Star Wars” hadn’t even debuted yet.
Neither had the NBA’s 3-point line.
On Thursday, New York finally got the celebration it had waited 53 years for.
A sea of blue and orange flooded Lower Manhattan for the Knicks’ first championship celebration since 1973 – and the franchise’s first-ever ticker-tape parade.
From lifted trucks to yellow labs, relive the Knicks’ incredible ride through the “Canyon of Heroes.”
Tone-Setter: Like all great coaches do, Mike Brown made sure the New York squad was ready from the jump, hyping up fans before the parade – with one question on his mind: “Who let the dogs out!?”
- Paw-rade: Mikal Bridges had an answer for Brown’s question, bringing Sonny – his special four-legged friend – with him through the Canyon of Heroes
- “That’s my son right there!” said Bridges of Sonny. “He takes care of me, and I take care of him.”
- Robinson’s Ride: Mitchell Robinson skipped the traditional floats, opting instead to ride through the parade in one of his famous pickup trucks – fully decked out in Knicks gear
- Another Prized Possession? The lucky handbag of Jordyn Woods – Karl-Anthony Towns’ fiancée. And KAT made sure the undefeated bag got its shine
- Parade POV: Hop aboard a Knicks float with Tyler Kolek and Jeremy Sochan for a player’s perspective of the Canyon of Heroes
Then came the Captain.
As his father and Knicks assistant coach, Rick Brunson, hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy above their float, fans showered Jalen Brunson with “M-V-P!” chants as confetti rained down.
- Speaking Of Which: One of Knicks Nation’s favorite chants rained down throughout the day: “Deuuuuuuuce!”
- Man Of The People: Another beloved Knick, Josh Hart, took the celebration to the fans, hopping off his float to enjoy a championship cigar streetside
- Jalen & Larry’s Stroll: Soon, Brunson was streetside, taking the Larry O’Brien Trophy for a walk through the crowd and letting fans get a touch of gold
- Alvarado Returns: Meanwhile, Brooklyn native Jose Alvarado had a message for the New York crowd: “We brought the trophy hooooome!”
- And OG Anunoby? He was all smiles
Celeb Row Victory Lap: Knicks superfan Timothée Chalamet joined the party, while fellow diehard Ben Stiller reminded fans of three words they won’t forget: “Knicks in five!”
And after the Knicks pulled into City Hall for the championship ceremony, Brunson had a message for “the City That Never Sleeps” – and never stopped believing:
“NEW YORK, WE REALLY DID IT!”
2. BEST OF THE KNICKS’ CITY HALL CELEBRATION
Chanting crowds, confetti and keys to the city.
As the Knicks’ parade culminated at City Hall, the celebration was as much about a grateful city honoring its heroes as it was a championship team rejoicing with fans.
- Banners On The Building: NYC’s orange and blue flag blended perfectly with the Knicks flags and jersey banners hanging from a decked-out City Hall building
- In With A Bang! Longtime TV voice of the Knicks and the NBA On ESPN/ABC, Mike Breen, introduced the champs
- Baha Mike Brown: The coach of the champs was first to the mic, warming up the crowd with his signature “Who let the dogs out?” chant
- “The energy today, all around New York, is off the charts,” Brown said. “This is New York City’s championship.”
Finals MVP and team captain Jalen Brunson then addressed the crowd on behalf of teammates.
“You saw a team stay connected through the most adverse times,” Brunson said. “… You saw the belief, the belief in each other.”
“… That’s the standard of what it takes to be a 2025-26 New York Knick, and that’s why we’re champions.”
- “Most importantly, thank you to the fans,” Brunson said before wrapping up by thanking his family. “They keep me humble, every single day. They don’t let me get off track for nothing.”
- A Ring And A Key: Each Knicks player was then presented with his own gold key to the city of New York
- “M-V-P! M-V-P!”: Chants broke out as Brunson accepted his key to the city
- “O-G! O-G!”: The cheers continued as the Finals Game 4 hero, OG Anunoby, stepped up to receive his key
Grammy-winning artist and New York native Alicia Keys then performed her hit song, “Empire State of Mind,” sharing the stage with the champs.
- Brunson & Bridges Backstage: Brunson thanked Keys after the show, while Mikal Bridges was ready for an encore duet
- KAT’s Crowd: Karl-Anthony Towns took center stage as the ceremony concluded, posing with the Larry O’Brien trophy
3. THE KNICKS’ CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE IN PHOTOS
A championship 53 years in the making deserves a celebration to match – and Thursday delivered.
From the Canyon of Heroes to City Hall, check out a few of our favorite frames from the Knicks’ long-awaited title parade.
4. UP NEXT: NBA DRAFT WEEK BEGINS
With the 2025-26 season drawing to a close, the unofficial first chapter of the 2026-27 season is just days away.
The 2026 NBA Draft takes place June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where a new generation of stars will take the first step in their NBA journeys.
- Round 1: Tuesday (8 ET, ABC/ESPN)
- Round 2: Wednesday (8 ET, ESPN)
Here’s everything you need to know before the first name is called, with the Washington Wizards holding the No. 1 overall pick.
- Draft Order: See which teams hold each of the 60 picks in this year’s Draft
- Meet The Prospects: NBA.com’s Krysten Peek spotlights some of the unique journeys behind this year’s Draft hopefuls, from Hall-of-Fame ties to multi-sport stars
- The Athletic’s Mock Draft: The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie released his latest mock draft on June 9, forecasting all 60 picks
- Draft Combine: Peek shares who stood out at last month’s AWS NBA Draft Combine, where 73 Draft hopefuls put their abilities on display
- Class Buzz: Why do so many experts believe this Draft class could be special? The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds takes a closer look
5. LOOKING AHEAD: SCHUHMANN’S 20 FREE AGENCY NUMBERS TO KNOW
Long before Thursday’s championship parade, his MVP-winning Finals performance and a historic Playoff stretch, Jalen Brunson came to the Knicks as a free agent in 2022.
As teams prepare for 2026 free agency – with negotiations beginning June 30 at 6 p.m. ET – NBA.com’s John Schuhmann previews this summer’s potential market:
“Though contracts can’t be signed until July 6, teams are already allowed to begin negotiating with their own free agents…
Here’s a list of 20 potential free agents in the 2026 class, with a number to know about each one …” | Read More
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