New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani offers Knicks fans chance to see team up close after title parade

A few hundred lucky New York Knicks fans will have a chance to see the newly minted NBA champions up close after the team’s ticker-tape parade in New York City on Thursday. The city and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are giving out 600 free tickets to fans to attend a ceremony on the City Hall plaza after the parade.

The parade route will start in Lower Manhattan and take the Knicks up Broadway and through the Canyon of Heroes, and conclude at City Hall for a festive celebration where Mamdani will give the Knicks keys to the city.

Fans can enter a public lottery at NBA.com for a chance to win tickets. The lottery will select 300 winners, each of whom will receive two tickets. It will will run until 11 a.m. ET Wednesday.

“From packed watch parties in our parks to joyous celebrations that spilled out onto our streets, this championship belongs to New York City,” Mamdani said. “The Knicks brought together New Yorkers from every borough and every walk of life. That’s why we’re making these tickets free and accessible — so working-class people have a chance to be part of this historic moment and celebrate the team that brought a championship home.”

Thursday’s parade will be the first in Knicks history.

The 1970 and 1973 teams did not get parades after winning the franchise’s first two NBA titles. John Lindsay, then New York City’s mayor, held a garden lawn party at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s residence, to honor the team after the 1970 title. The 1973 team did get a ceremony outside City Hall, as well as a lunch banquet, but no parade. Instead, Lindsay gave out MVP awards to all the players and offered medals to honor the city’s 75th anniversary. Finals MVP Willis Reed also received a new Dodge Charger.

That 1973 ceremony saw some 2,000 fans line City Hall to congratulate the Knicks, but Thursday’s crowds will likely dwarf that number. The Knicks have captured the city’s imagination this spring with their title run and five-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

The newly minted champions have been on a seemingly never-ending party since clinching the title Saturday night. They returned to New York the next day and have enjoyed themselves ever since. The whole team appeared on the Jimmy Fallon Show Monday while doing a media tour. Reserve point guard and New York native Jose Alvarado rode in Brooklyn’s Puerto Rican Day parade alongside Mamdani. Karl-Anthony Towns worked a shift at Raising Canes while autographing jerseys. Mikal Bridges went viral for his candid Instagram Live on Monday.

Thursday, the whole city will turn out to fete. And 600 fans will get to be there outside City Hall as the Knicks take the stage.