The New York Knicks celebrated their 2026 NBA championship with a historic ticker-tape parade down Broadway's Canyon of Heroes on Thursday, drawing an estimated two million fans. The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the NBA Finals, ending a 53-year title drought. Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, who scored 45 points in the clinching Game 5, was met with a deafening roar as the motorcade rolled past packed sidewalks all the way to City Hall.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted a championship ceremony on City Hall Plaza where the players received keys to the city. Singer Alicia Keys closed out the celebration with a live performance of "Empire State of Mind," with the crowd of millions singing along. The 2026 NBA Finals averaged more than 20 million viewers on ABC/ESPN — the most-watched postseason since 1998.
The Knicks' title run will long be remembered for its drama, including the historic 29-point comeback in Game 4 that shifted the series. This is also the franchise's first-ever ticker-tape parade: when they won in 1970 and 1973, no Canyon of Heroes celebration was held. New York City had waited more than half a century for this moment.