New York (AFP) – Tens of thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily guarded victory parade, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange to mark their basketball team’s NBA Finals victory. Chants of “Let’s go Knicks” rippled through the dense crowd, made up of some who paid hundreds of dollars for line sitters to wait overnight and save them a space to watch the procession.
“The Knicks unite the city unlike any other team. We were starved for so long,” said Anthony Martorelli, a 29-year-old retail worker. New York erupted in jubilant scenes Saturday when the Knicks broke a 53-year drought to defeat the San Antonio Spurs away in Texas.
Thursday’s parade, organized by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s team, drew a security detail of 10,000 New York police officers — the force’s largest ever deployment for a planned event. Public viewing pens to see the parade were already full three hours before the start, the NYPD said, prompting some late arrivals to scramble for alternatives. In one case, dozens of fans scaled a city dump truck, deployed as a security measure, to catch a glimpse of the passing players and trophy. A couple wearing their wedding day finery, a tuxedo and bow tie for the man and cream dress for the woman, also wove through the crowds. A friend said they would tie the knot later.
“I think there’s been so much bad around America in the last couple of years, and it’s really nice to see this,” said Martorelli. He spoke as cheers echoed off the skyscrapers dotted around the World Trade Center, where National Guard troops were surveilling the area.
– ‘Means so much’ –
The parade, which started at 10:00 am (1400 GMT), was planned for the Knicks to travel from Bowling Green at the bottom of Manhattan to City Hall, a 10-block route known as the “Canyon of Heroes.” They were to be showered with 2,500 pounds (1.1 tonnes) of recycled confetti, according to the city, part of a ticker-tape parade that traces its origins to the late 1800s. Later, Mayor Mamdani was to award the Knicks the symbolic key to the city at City Hall, where team owner James Dolan said an all-star show was planned.
“We have everybody from Walt Clyde Frazier from the old team to the new team, the Knicks City Dancers, there’s like five marching bands,” he told local media. Dolan added that Grammy winner Alicia Keys would sing “Empire State of Mind” — the smash hit she recorded with Jay-Z in 2009.
New York, already swarming with football supporters for the World Cup, faced traffic chaos with street closures enforced across Manhattan. But for many lifelong Knicks fans, the disruption was justified, as Thursday’s parade marked an emotional culmination of years of following the team. James Smallwood, a 62-year-old retiree, recalled his memories of when the Knicks last won the Finals all the way back in 1973.
“I was nine, doing New York stuff, riding bikes and playing tag, and I remember my sisters drinking Miller High Life when the Knicks won. That’s when I became a fan. I’m a five-time cancer survivor, so this means so much to see.”
© 2024 AFP
