The New York Knicks ended a 53-year wait for a third NBA championship, lifting the trophy for the first time since 1973, and calls for a knicks parade began as thousands flooded streets near Madison Square Garden and Times Square.
The team clinched the best-of-seven series 4-1 against the San Antonio Spurs, sealing the title in Game 5 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, two days after the club recorded what was described as the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
Celebrations in New York were exuberant and at times dangerous, with fans climbing on buses, scaling scaffolding and light poles, and attempting to hitch rides on a moving fire truck, The Associated Press reported.
City leaders moved quickly to formalize honors, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani announcing a ticker-tape parade, a City Hall ceremony to honor the team, and plans to award the players keys to the city on Thursday, his office said.
Arrests Injuries Property Damage and Reactions
Law enforcement said the New York Police Department made 63 arrests and reported that 10 NYPD members were injured during the celebrations, including one officer who was punched and another struck with a glass bottle.
The force said a 17-year-old was the victim of a shooting and was taken to the hospital, and police said three persons of interest were in custody in connection with that incident.
Police said five school buses were set on fire or destroyed and five NYPD cars were damaged, and later reports said one of the buses was engulfed in flames after being climbed on by fans.
Around 2 a.m., officers reported gunshots near 42nd Street and Broadway, with bystander video capturing at least seven shots; preliminary reports indicated no one was injured, police said.
The Knicks appealed for calm. Knicks owner James Dolan, speaking after the game in San Antonio, told fans to be safe and urged people not to get hurt or hurt others.
On the court in San Antonio, die-hard fans and celebrities Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller joined in more measured celebrations, with Chalamet telling ESPN he preferred this moment to the Oscars and Stiller calling it the happiest he had ever felt.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social congratulating the team, calling the victory "maybe the greatest in the history of basketball" and writing "Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!!"
