'City united after so long': New Yorkers rejoice in Knicks' championship parade

New Yorkers celebrated the Knicks' championship on nearly every available surface along the parade route in Lower Manhattan.

Climbing on delivery trucks, hanging off lampposts, standing on the roofs of newsstands, clinging to the concrete pillars of City Hall, and filling up courtyards and sidewalks, thousands of exuberant fans packed streets to party.

The parade on Thursday was the culmination of weeks of electric energy across the city that grew during the Knicks NBA Finals run - the excitement finally bubbling over when the team won the championship on Saturday for the first time in 53 years.

"The vibes are absolutely amazing. This is just unreal," said parade-goer and 19-year-old college student Daniel Nemesure.

Streams of Knicks fans flooded up the steps from City Hall train station, spilling out into a large street-side courtyard already undulating from the massive pool of people.

With a drum line beating in the distance, everyone here had their eyes excitedly turned toward the cordoned-off street as they awaited the Knicks parade floats - and the possibility of catching a glimpse of their favourite players.

The throngs of people appeared to come from nearly every walk of life, but all had one thing in common: their blue and orange Knicks gear, and a love of New York City.

Parade-goers told the BBC they were thrilled to be part of the festivities - with many taking the day off from work.

"My boss is actually here too," said 29-year-old Devyn Lara, laughing.

"For everyone to come together for a team... was just really special."

After the Knicks won game five of the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday - clinching the title - everyone was hugging and celebrating, Lara said.

"Seeing pictures of people kissing, it honestly felt like the end of World War II."

A number of people at the parade remarked on how unified the often abrasive city has felt since the Finals began, and especially on Thursday.

"Just being here - everyone is wearing their Knicks hat, their Knicks merchandise. The city kind of feels united after so long," said Mallika Singh, a 19-year-old college student.

Singh said it's been incredible to see a team that her family has loved and watched since she was born finally win after so many decades of losses. Singh woke up at 04:00 local time (09:00 BST) and got on a 05:00 train into the city from Connecticut on Thursday morning to be there.

With her friends, Singh had been bopping around the parade route for hours, since around 06:00, she told the BBC.

"The city is so electric... Everyone's just really happy to be here," she added.

"There's a unity about it," echoed Eric, a native New Yorker who lives in Harlem. "The Knicks have brought the city together."

"Even during the whole playoff run, the city's been magnetic, energetic. Everywhere you go, people are wearing Knicks shirts," added Eric's companion, Angeline.

Travelling along the Canyon of Heroes - the famed route of New York City's ticker-tape parades - the parade moved from Lower Manhattan up to City Hall.

Knicks players, including Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, waved to crowds penned in by police on the sidelines, as confetti rained down on the rivers of blue-and-orange. Celebrities also took part, including Knicks game regulars Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Mariska Hargitay.

The procession concluded at City Hall with a ceremony honouring the team, featuring speeches from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Knicks head coach Mike Brown, Knicks owner Jim Dolan, and others.

"So often, when this city comes together, it is because we are forced to by a moment of tragedy or adversity," Mamdani told the crowd. "What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy."

Several parade-goers said the Knicks' run has made New Yorkers friendlier.

"I see people holding the doors open for each other, just being genuinely nice to each other. I don't think New York's been this united ever," said Nemesure.

"The city's been so different than it normally is," his friend Yashas Balguri, 19, also a college student, added. "Jalen Brunson really brought everyone together this year."

The effects of the parade could be felt more than 100 blocks away uptown, as passengers in Knicks jerseys filled subways and a conductor announced trains were delayed over congestion caused by the festivities miles away.

"For as long as we live, we will remember this feeling of a city together, a city alive, a city overcome by happiness," Mayor Mamdani said during his parade speech.