1 hour ago
3
Mayor Zohran Mamdani soaked up the spotlight during the Knicks’ tribute at City Hall Thursday — droning on for nearly 10 minutes after partying with the NBA champions on a parade float.
Hizzoner was front and center as the hometown team’s first-ever ticker-tape parade made its way up Broadway, hanging around Knicks stars including Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby onboard a float, along with Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The self-proclaimed diehard Knicks fan mayor even posed with the lucky orange purse owned by Towns’ fiancée Jordyn Woods.
“The Knicks did not just win for New York City, they won like New York City,” Mamdani, wearing a Josh Hart jersey beneath his blazer — but over his white button down shirt and orange tie — later told the crowd at City Hall Plaza.
“What is New York if not your back up against the wall, a dream that feels just out of reach, a rent payment that you don’t know how you’re going to make?”
The democratic socialist went on for eight minutes and 19 seconds – more than twice as long as any other speaker and more than a third of the time allotted for speeches delivered during the ceremony.
Mamdani’s speech was even longer than the time it took for him to hand out the keys to the city to Knicks owner James Dolan and the team members, which lasted an efficient 7 minutes and 35 seconds.
Knicks personnel who delivered speeches to adoring fans — and the about 2,000 seated attendees in the ticketed section — included Dolan, team president Leon Rose, head coach Mike Brown and star point guard Jalen Brunson.
Brown gave the second longest speech on the day, though it clocked in at just under four minutes.
The rest of the time was allotted to politicians, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who bizarrely brought up his 50th birthday on May 11 during his one minute and 24 second-long address.
“Everybody, this is what it’s all about — the New York Knicks,” Williams giddily said. “And I can’t wait to talk to my younger self, and I’m gonna tell you, hold on, because on your 50th birthday they’re gonna give you a championship, and you’re gonna be a citywide elected official on this stage.”
Mamdani’s remarks, meanwhile, were focused on Knicks history as he recapped the current team’s wild ride to an NBA Finals Championship and paid homage to the series of ex-players who graced the court at Madison Square Garden.
The mayor’s predecessors, Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio, gave much shorter speeches at post-ticker-tape parade sports celebrations during their respective terms.
Adams spoke for almost two minutes when the New York Liberty were hailed in 2024 and de Blasio spoke for a little more than four and half minutes at the parade for the US women’s soccer team in 2019.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declined to speak at all in an election year Thursday, with her office stressing the day was about the team.
Other elected officials to take the microphone included City Comptroller Mark Levine and City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
At least one fan watching the ceremony on TV at a nearby bar appeared confused by the parade of political speeches, asking about Menin, “Who is she?”
— Additional reporting by Matthew Fischetti, Vaughn Golden and Steven Vago
English (US)