Knicks Fans Chant at Spurs Star During Championship Parade

Tens of thousands of Knicks fans filled lower Manhattan on Thursday for a victory parade marking the team's NBA Finals championship. The procession traveled a 10-block stretch known as the Canyon of Heroes from Bowling Green to City Hall. Fans chanted "Let's go Knicks" while watching from public viewing areas that reached capacity three hours before the start.

Police deployed 10,000 officers, the largest planned-event force in department history. Some late arrivals climbed a city dump truck positioned as a security barrier to view the passing team and trophy.

Grammy winner Alicia Keys performed "Empire State of Mind" during the ceremony.

“What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy.”

“The Knicks did not just win for New York City, they won like New York City.”

The Knicks were showered with 2,500 pounds of recycled confetti along the route. The parade coincided with street closures that added to existing traffic disruptions from World Cup football supporters already in the city.

29-year-old retail worker described the Knicks as uniting the city after years without a title. A 62-year-old retiree recalled watching the team's 1973 championship as a child and called Thursday's event deeply personal after surviving cancer five times.

An IT teacher brought his son to witness the moment, calling it a memory that would last a lifetime. The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Saturday, ending a 53-year title drought.