Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, and 2 million fans take over Manhattan for historic Knicks Championship Parade
Topics: NBA, New York, Sport, Basketball
Phoebe Tonks
Featured Image Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Topics: NBA, New York, Sport, Basketball
New York City was brought to a standstill on Thursday afternoon as an estimated two million fans flooded the streets to celebrate the New York Knicks’ historic, curse-breaking NBA Championship win.
After a grueling 53-year wait, the Larry O'Brien trophy is officially back in the Big Apple—and the city celebrated exactly how you’d expect it to. With total, beautiful chaos.
The legendary ticker-tape parade kicked off at 10:00 AM along Broadway's famous Canyon of Heroes, with fans quickly lining the streets to be part of the celebration.
According to the NYPD, the crowd viewing pens were completely packed out by 7:25 AM, forcing police to completely close down access to the main strip as a sea of blue and orange took over Lower Manhattan.
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But it wasn't just the local fans lighting up joints and climbing on top of police cruisers to celebrate. Hollywood’s elite New York contingent turned out in full force to watch Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and head coach Mike Brown lift the trophy.
Timothée Chalamet was spotted right at the front of the barricades, wearing a neon-orange hoodie as he high-fived fans as the player floats rolled past.
Ben Stiller, arguably the team's most dedicated courtside fixture, was seen riding on one of the secondary floats, proudly rocking a custom Karl-Anthony Towns graphic tee and screaming lyrics to "Go New York, Go New York, Go!”
In the most bizarre crossover of the day, lifestyle icon Martha Stewart somehow scored a prime seat on the main team bus right next to team ownership, casually waving to millions of screaming fans while holding a plastic cup.
The parade culminated at City Hall, where the newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani presented the entire Knicks squad and coaching staff with the Keys to the City.
When team captain Jalen Brunson—who put up an iconic 45-point performance in Game 5 to seal the title against the Spurs—stepped up to the microphone, he was instantly drowned out by a deafening chant of "MVP! MVP!" from the two-million-strong crowd.
"I don't even know what to say," a visibly emotional Brunson told the roaring crowd while covered in confetti. "New York, we did it. You all stayed with us through everything, and this trophy belongs to the city.”
Naturally, the sheer scale of the celebration triggered an absolute avalanche of viral moments across social media, with fans quickly sharing their thoughts on the standout moments.
"Seeing Ben Stiller lose his absolute mind on a float while Martha Stewart casually drinks a cocktail on the player bus is peak New York infrastructure," one fan wrote on X.
Another added: "Two million people in the streets and the entire city smelled like Fireball whiskey and victory. There is genuinely no place on earth like NY when they win."
While a third pointed out: "We waited 53 years for this. Let the city shut down for the next week, the Knicks are champions!"