Knicks parade celebrates NBA Championship win in Manhattan

The Knicks’ championship run not only gave us some amazing basketball but also some new local celebrities.

“The Baklava Guy” rose to fame after handing out his signature dessert for free to Knicks fans outside Madison Square Garden. 

Roy Donk, the owner of Good Baklava, said giving out free treats is just another way to get fans amped up. 

“There’s just special moments in New York history which we’re living right now, and I usually sell it, but there’s no chance of selling it right now,” he said. 

CBS News New York’s Christina Fan met up with him along the parade route.

The MTA said as a throwback to 1973, when the Knicks last won the championship, they will be running a vintage R32 subway car on the A line from Harlem to Lower Manhattan.

The train will run express from 168th Street to Canal Street before terminating at World Trade Center. It started running at 7 a.m.

The New York Knicks’ victory tour following their first NBA championship since 1973 made another stop Wednesday night when Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart threw out ceremonial first pitches at Yankee Stadium.

Before the Yankees played the Chicago White Sox, Brunson and Hart were met with a standing ovation and loud cheers from fans as they took the field to a montage of highlights from the title run.

Standing in front of the mound and wearing Yankees pinstripes, Brunson made his toss to backup catcher J.C. Escarra while Hart threw to utilityman Max Schuemann.

Brunson threw out a first pitch for the second time since joining the Knicks. He also did it before a Mets-Yankees game in July 2024 shortly after signing a four-year, $156.5 million contract to stay with the Knicks.

Officials were putting the finishing touches Wednesday on the city’s historic lead car, a Chrysler Imperial Phaeton, which has been used in every parade since 1952.

MTA officials said there are several subway trains skipping stops due to the parade. 

• E trains are not in service between W 4 St-Wash Sq and World Trade Center.
• 4 and 5 will be skipping Wall St in both directions, but stopping at Bowling Green 
• 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains will skip Fulton Street
• 2 and 3 trains will skip Park Place in both directions and will stop at Wall Street and Chambers Street
• A and C trains are skipping Chambers Street in both directions, stopping at Canal Street and Fulton Street 
• R and W trains will skip City Hall in both directions and stop at Park Place and Chambers Street

The NYPD said all the viewing pens for the parade are full as of 7:24 a.m.

Nobody else will be let in along the parade route. 

“As a reminder, if you leave the viewing pens, you will not be allowed reentry,” a social media post from the NYPD stated. 

The parade will step off at 10 a.m. near Battery Park and travel north along Broadway before arriving at City Hall, where a ceremony will be held.

Dozens of fans were spotted lining up near the parade access points along the route before 5 a.m.

Although it was early, spirits were high as spectators started cheering and clapping while wearing their Knicks gear.

One fan was even spotted walking down the street waving a Knicks flag. 

There will be 10,000 police officers assigned to the Knicks championship parade, the largest number ever for a planned event in New York City’s history.

Police sources say there will be assets that the public will be able to see and assets it won’t see.

The NYPD’s security plan will also feature heavy weapons teams, explosive detection K9s, transportation, transit, highway and aviation officers, as well as the anti-drone squad.  

Fans are encouraged to arrive at least two hours early as city officials are expecting thousands of people to attend.

Here are some options via mass transit:

• Take the 4 and 5 lines to the Bowling Green station, which drops you at the southern start of the parade route
• Take the 1 line to Rector Street or Cortlandt Street for mid-route access along Broadway
• Take the 2 and 3 lines to the Park Place station, which puts you near the City Hall ceremony
• Take the R and W lines to Whitehall Street or Cortlandt Street as alternate entry points
• Take the A, C, E line to Fulton Street for central access to the route 
• The Staten Island Ferry service will run every 15 minutes

Wall Street station on the 4/5 line and City Hall station on the R/W line closed at 4:30 a.m. and will reopen by approximately 5 p.m.

Trains will stop at the following stations, but some entrances and exits will be closed:

• Chambers Street on the J/Z line
• Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall on the 4/5/6 line
• Park Place on the 2/3 line
• Fulton Center on the 2/3, 4/5, A/C, J/Z and R lines
• Bowling Green on the 4/5 line

The MTA may add extra trains on the A, J and 1 lines following the parade if necessary.

City officials released a list of items that won’t be allowed at the parade.

• Large bags and backpacks
• Outside alcohol
• Umbrellas
• Folding chairs and other large items
• Glass or metal water bottles
• Bats/batons
• Bicycle or scooters
• Coolers
• Drones
• Pets
• Strollers
• Weapons