The New York Knicks ended their 53-year wait for a third NBA championship on Friday night, sparking wild celebrations across the city.
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The Knicks clinched the best-of-seven series 4-1 against the San Antonio Spurs to lift the trophy for the first time since 1973, sealing the deal in Game 5 two days after pulling off the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
The Knicks sealed the title at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, but over 1,500 miles away in New York, celebrations erupted after the final buzzer.
The historic victory sparked scenes of jubilation, with fans flooding the streets, celebrities joining in the festivities and city leaders planning a ticker-tape parade.
Thousands of fans filled the streets, jumping and chanting the moment the Knicks secured victory. Police officers and ambulance workers in Brooklyn were heard shouting “Let’s go Knicks” over loudspeakers.
Traffic around Madison Square Garden, where fans watched the game on big screens, ground to a halt after the game as police maintained a heavy presence.
In San Antonio, diehard Knicks fans Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller were seen joining in the celebrations on the court.
Chalamet, a four-time Academy Award nominee, told ESPN: “Way rather this than the Oscars. Knicks are champions, baby.” Stiller told the network he was the “happiest I’ve ever felt.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that New York City will host a ticker-tape parade, the first in Knicks history, along with a City Hall ceremony honoring the team. The team will also be awarded Keys to the City on Thursday.
“For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment,” he said. “Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks.”
The raucous celebrations saw some disorder and violence, as some fans clashed with police, smashed windshields and scaled scaffolding and light poles. Others climbed into and onto school buses in Times Square and attempted to hitch rides on a moving fire truck, the Associated Press reported. Later, one of the buses was engulfed in flames.
Around 2 a.m., gunshots were fired near 42nd Street and Broadway, police said. Bystander video captured the sound of at least seven shots and showed people crouching and running for cover. Preliminary reports indicated no one was injured, police said.
The NYPD said multiple arrests had been made, adding that details on the number of people detained and any charges they face would be released later.
“We need to tell everybody in New York that we know that they’re celebrating, we want them to have a great time,” Knicks owner James Dolan said after the game in San Antonio. “Please be safe. Don’t get hurt, don’t hurt anybody.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump congratulated the team, calling their victory “maybe the greatest in the history of basketball.”
“Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!!” he posted on Truth Social.
