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The New York Knicks are NBA champions, and fans got to revel in that celebration on Thursday during the championship parade. Fans waited 53 years for this moment, and it was certainly one fit for the occasion. Fans camped out to get a good spot along the parade route as early as 3 a.m., and the NYPD reported that the fan pens were completely full two and a half hours before the festivities even began. We saw people climb light posts, scaffolding and even buildings just to get a glimpse of their favorite players, as confetti rained down along the "Canyon of Heroes" in Lower Manhattan.
The parade featured former Knicks greats like Clyde Frazier, Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Carmelo Anthony along with superfans like Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe, Timothée Chalamet and Mariska Hargitay being featured on several of the floats.
But the main event was seeing all the players celebrate their win, with Finals MVP Jalen Brunson saying during the post-parade ceremony, "Damn, we really did it."
So what did you miss? Here's a breakdown of some of the highlights from the Knicks' championship parade.
Jalen Brunson calls out his critics
Brunson is a man of very few words. Throughout the Knicks' championship run, he was the stoic, steady presence who consistently lamented "job's not finished" in his best Kobe Bryant impression. We saw emotion wash over him once the job was finished after beating the Spurs in five games. And during the Knicks' championship celebration on Thursday, you could tell the thought of him being an NBA champion still hasn't fully sunk in yet.
While Brunson was reflective in his speech, we also saw him respond to his critics, something we never see from the usually reserved All-Star guard.
"Lastly, there's a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say, there's a lot of people who have a lot of opinions, but when you prove them wrong, you really don't have to say shit to them," Brunson said.
While Brunson didn't name names, one person who certainly comes to mind is Becky Hammon, the coach of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces and a former Spurs assistant. A few years ago, Hammon said the Knicks couldn't win if Brunson was their best player, citing his 6-foot-2 stature. And when those comments resurfaced amid New York's playoff run, she doubled down.
Well, Brunson certainly proved her wrong. Not only is he an NBA champion, but he's also the NBA Finals MVP -- something no one can ever take away from him.
NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani honors former Knicks players
Mamdani delivered perhaps the best speech of the afternoon, pulling on the heartstrings of Knicks fans everywhere as he recalled iconic moments throughout the franchise's history. But it wasn't just the highlights; Mamdani also shouted out many players throughout Knicks history who have made contributions to the team.
"I'm talking about guys like Renaldo Balkman, Mardy Collins, Raymond Felton, Marcus Camby, Kristaps Porziņģis, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and the whole "Knickstape" era. I'm talking about guys like Toney Douglas, who I watched tie the single-game franchise record for threes from the stands in 2011. I'm talking about Amar'e [Stoudemire], who got this whole city fired up when he joined, and I'm talking about Jared Jeffries and Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway," Mamdani said.
"Players who gave everything, every game, even when a 20-win season was all that was in sight. This championship belongs to them, too, because championships aren't just built in one season. It belongs to Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and also to a coach who helped lay the groundwork, Tom Thibodeau."
You could hear Mamdani's passion during his speech, and it clearly resonated with fans in attendance as he received resounding cheers.
Tyler Kolek was mistaken for a fan
We've heard this story before. A lesser-known player on the team gets mistaken for a fan and can't access the team's practice facility, or worse, can't get through security on game day. Well, add Kolek to the list of players who have had that experience. While celebrating with fans during the parade, Kolek was momentarily stopped by police, who thought he was a fan trying to get onto the parade route.
Kolek handled it well, as he took to social media to plead that he's really a member of the championship Knicks team.
Kolek didn't play during the NBA Finals, but he did see some minutes in the earlier rounds of the playoffs, where he came in and knocked down a couple of triples on a few occasions. NYPD may not have known him then, but they certainly will remember Kolek going forward.
Mitchell Robinson rides through parade in his own truck
If you take one scroll through Robinson's social media feed, you'll notice that he's a big fan of pickup trucks. He's constantly posting his modified, lifted trucks on Instagram and has even driven them through the streets of New York City. So it's no surprise that after the Knicks won the title, Robinson would want his truck featured in the parade.
Not only was his truck there, Robinson drove it for a stretch of the parade route before getting into the bed of the truck to soak in the moment.
Donning the Knicks orange and blue color scheme, Robinson said he was "excited" when asked if he wanted to have his truck in the parade.
Surprise performance from New York City native Alicia Keys
After all the speeches were done and the mayor handed out keys to the city to every player, coach and front office executive on the team, fans in attendance and those watching at home were treated to a surprise performance from Grammy-winning artist Alicia Keys, who did a rendition of her and Jay-Z's song "Empire State of Mind."
Quite literally a perfect ending for the Knicks parade.
