The New York Knicks are on the eve of a celebration parade more than five decades in the making after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games to capture the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973.
In recent years, Trae Young has repeatedly tormented the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden, turning clutch shots and postgame showmanship into vulgar chants from New York fans.
The chants became a familiar theme whenever the Knicks faced the Atlanta Hawks, seemingly pushing Young to raise his game against the Blue and Orange. Young, who was traded to the Washington Wizards in January, is no stranger to trading barbs on social media with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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The NBA All-Star and the politician traded blame over the cost of Knicks playoff tickets at Madison Square Garden.
NBA STAR HITS BACK AT NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI FOR BLAMING HIM OVER EXPENSIVE PLAYOFF TICKETS
Mamdani appeared to rekindle the feud Wednesday. In a sitdown with CNN, the Democratic mayor of the nation’s largest city suggested he was unfamiliar with Young when asked whether Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama had dethroned the league’s 2025 assists leader as New York’s favorite basketball villain.
“I’m not sure who that other guy is you’re speaking of,” Mamdani replied. “But Victor Wembanyama is the most recent villain we’ve had, yes — vanquished.”
Young averaged 29.2 points as the Hawks beat the Knicks in five games in the first round of the 2021 Eastern Conference playoffs. He placed a finger to his mouth after a thrilling 107-105 overtime win in Game 1, silencing the Madison Square Garden crowd after scoring a game-high 32 points.
At one point in the series, a frustrated Knicks fan appeared to try to spit at Young. The star point guard was unfazed, framing the hostility as proof that he had gotten under Knicks fans’ skin.
“Obviously, I’m doing something right if you hate me that much. I embrace it and try to focus on my team and trying to help my team win. At the end of the day, we’ll get the last laugh if we do that.”
Jalen Brunson was named the 2026 NBA Finals MVP after Saturday’s series-clinching win. Thursday’s championship parade is expected to step off at 10 a.m. ET, carrying the reigning NBA champions through Manhattan before ending at New York City Hall.
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Mamdani described the parade as a historic first for the Knicks and a payoff for generations of New Yorkers.
“It will be the first ticker-tape parade in Knicks history, where New Yorkers will be able to celebrate a moment that has feels like we’ve waited an entire lifetime for because when it comes to people my age and a little bit older, we have,” Mamdani said.
“There have been so many heartbreaks, so many near misses, so many years, every year where we’ve told ourselves it’s the year and for it to actually happen now, there’s nothing more we can ask for as New Yorkers.”
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