Starting 5: Knicks’ parade through New York City set for today

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The parade is today.

The Knicks’ championship parade will wind through the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan at 10 a.m. ET today, with LIVE coverage starting at 9:30 ET in the NBA App & on NBA TV.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Parade Day: Knicks to celebrate title with fans historic title with fans in landmark ticker-tape parade in Manhattan

Chasing History: A behind-the-scenes look at the Knicks’ historic Playoff run

Built For The Moment: How years of work turned Jalen Brunson into a championship closer

Fan Fantasy: Shaun Powell goes inside Knicks’ locker room celebrations with Ben Stiller

Finals On Film: New York’s title celebration through a timeless lens

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BUT FIRST … ⏰

Knicks-Spurs was the most-watched NBA Finals in 28 years, averaging 20.6M viewers per game on ABC and ESPN — including an average of 24.5M for Game 5, peaking at 33M.

The series generated a record 15 billion views and counting on social media, the most ever for an NBA Finals, while also setting a Fanatics record for most 24-hour merch sales for any championship team in any sport.

The league also had its most-watched postseason in 28 years across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBC/Peacock.

Up Next, Draft Week: The 2026 NBA Draft begins next week at the Brooklyn Nets’ Barclays Center, with Round 1 just five days away.

• Tuesday, June 23: Round 1 (8 ET, ABC/ESPN)
• Wednesday, June 24: Round 2 (8 ET, ESPN)

NBA Creator Cup: For the first time, the PlayStation NBA Creator Cup will be a part of the Summer League schedule, returning to The Pavilion in Las Vegas on July 9 with its signature drama and high-energy action.

A ticket gets you access to seven NBA Summer League games and the Creator Cup! Grab your tickets here.

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1. COUNTDOWN IS ON: KNICKS PARADE STARTS SOON

Lady Liberty herself, the astronauts of the first moon landing, and now, the New York Knicks.

This morning, the 2026 NBA Champion Knicks will join New York’s rich, 140-year tradition of honoring its heroes with a “ticker-tape” parade, celebrating the franchise’s third title.

NBA TV and the NBA App will have full coverage of the parade, beginning at 9:30 ET.

• What To Know: The free-to-attend parade will begin at 10 ET, moving up NYC’s “Canyon of Heroes” along Broadway in Lower Manhattan to a ticketed ceremony at City Hall
• In NYC? Get full details on parade route viewing, performances, travel and transportation here
• Parade City: NYC has hosted over 200 world-famous parades, including recently honoring the 2024 WNBA champion Liberty. But celebrations for the Knicks’ first two championships were scaled back to City Hall receptions in the early 1970s, before the ticker-tape returned for America’s Bicentennial

Today’s parade serves as an historic moment in the Knicks’ celebration tour, with stops across the television world already.

• Early “Morning”: Karl-Anthony Towns and his fiancée, Jordyn Woods, shared the legend of the lucky bag on “Good Morning America”
• Enjoying “The View”: Jalen Brunson spoke with Whoopi Goldberg and the gang about keeping calm under pressure in Game 5
• Championship Belieber: Brunson’s Justin Bieber hype playlist was a popular topic of conversation
• “Tonight Show” Takeover: Introduced by Spike Lee himself, the Knicks brought the Larry O’Brien trophy and championship tales, with Josh Hart signing Jimmy Fallon’s shoe, which he untied courtside in the East Semis
• Magic “Mornings”: Towns received a special message from Magic Johnson – his inspiration for wearing No. 32 – on “CBS Mornings”
• Double Delivery In The Bronx: Brunson and Hart tossed in two strikes for the ceremonial first pitches at Yankee Stadium last night

Whether you’re waiting along the parade route or just need more of a Knicks fix, Starting 5 has you covered:

• Trending Topics: NBA.com’s roundtable of writers’ biggest takeaways from the 2026 Finals
• The Athletic: Mike Brown often defers credit, but the Knicks’ NBA title warrants praise
• Steve Aschburner: Next steps in maturation await Spurs after run to NBA Finals

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2. CHASING HISTORY: ALL-ACCESS TO NEW YORK’S TITLE RUN

The Knicks just completed one of the greatest postseason runs ever.

And our cameras were there.

Dive into New York’s path to the mountaintop with “Chasing History,” an NBA original series, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the champions’ journey.

It began in the First Round, with the Knicks against the Hawks.

• Knicks Make A Statement: Once tied 2-2 in the series, New York roars past Atlanta in Game 6 with a franchise Playoff-record 51-point win to advance

Knicks vs. 76ers in the East Semifinals.

• Knicks Win A Close One: It was a close contest the entire way, but the Knicks pull away late for a 2-0 series lead
• Knicks Keep Rolling: Another masterful showing by Brunson puts New York on the cusp of a return to the East Finals
• A New York Sweep: In record-setting fashion, the Knicks sweep the 76ers, extending their Playoff win streak to a franchise-best seven straight

Knicks vs. Cavaliers in the East Finals.

• Miracle At MSG: New York storms back from a 22-point deficit to steal Game 1 in OT
• Gotta Have Hart: Josh Hart scores a Playoff career-high 26 points to power New York to another win
• Knicks Keep Up The Pressure: New York rolls on the road for a 3-0 series lead on Cleveland
• New York Continues To Make History: New York sweeps Cleveland to secure its first Finals berth in 27 years

Knicks vs. Spurs in the Finals.

• Knicks Strike First: Brunson shows up in the clutch yet again for New York with a game-high 30 points as his team lands the first punch
• Knicks Win Instant Classic: With a flair for the dramatic, the Knicks extend their postseason win streak to 13 in a row with a late defensive stand
• Spurs Tune Out The Noise: New Yorkers show up loud and proud. Celebrities pack Madison Square Garden. But San Antonio bounces back, taking Game 3
• An MSG Miracle For The Ages: It’s the greatest comeback in Finals history as the Knicks snatch victory on OG Anunoby’s tip-in
• The Wait Is Over!: Fifty-three years of waiting are over at last. Brunson puts on a 45-point performance for the ages as the Knicks clinch an NBA title

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3. JALEN BRUNSON, BUILT FOR THE BIGGEST MOMENTS

There was 1:10 left in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and the score was tied.

Jalen Brunson slowly dribbled the ball to halfcourt, then darted into the lane, where he dropped in a six-foot floater over a crowd of Spurs defenders.

It was his 15th point of the 4th quarter and his 45th of the night – giving New York the lead for good.

One minute later, the Knicks were NBA champions.

• “My confidence comes from my work ethic,” Brunson said postgame when asked how he continues to deliver in the biggest moments
• “Every time I got the ball, all I could think about is all the hours in the summer. For every summer I had, since I ever could remember … making this a reality.”

Brunson had just matched Michael Jordan (Game 6, 1998) for the most points scored in a Finals-clinching road win. But the foundation for the performance was built years ago – even before Jalen stepped on an NBA floor.

It traces back to his father, Rick Brunson, an NBA journeyman who spent nine seasons in the league with eight different teams.

And on Oct. 25, 2006, when Jalen was 10 years old, that journey came to an en

• “That was the day my dad got cut. That crushed me – to this day,” Brunson told ESPN. “He was like, ‘I don’t think there’s going to be a next for me. I don’t think there’s going to be another team I’m gonna play for.’”
• “I was choked up because I felt like I let him down,” added Rick. “I just told him right there, I said, ‘If you truly want to do this, I’m going to push you to the limits, where you don’t really have to go through this struggle that I went through.’”

Rick’s promise became a blueprint built on repetition. From an early age, Jalen spent countless hours training with his father, refining the fundamentals and habits that would define his career.

The results followed at every level. Brunson led his team to an Illinois state championship in high school, won two national championships at Villanova and earned Naismith National Player of the Year honors in 2017-18.

But the work produced more than trophies – it gave Brunson a confidence rooted not in results, but in preparation.

• “No fear of failure is exactly how he approaches every day, every game, every possession,” said Jay Wright, Brunson’s coach at Villanova, on “The Rich Eisen Show” this week
• “He’s got a clear mind, and he’s not affected by the previous [shot]. He’s just gonna trust his work and know that if he hits it, he hits it, and he’s gonna get back to work. If he doesn’t hit it, he’s gonna learn from it, and he’s gonna get back to work. That’s him.”

That work allowed Brunson – a 6-foot-2 guard and second-round pick in 2018 – to overcome the questions that followed throughout his career, even when he arrived in New York in the summer of 2022.

• “Everywhere I’ve gone since high school,” said Brunson in his Knicks introductory press conference, “It’s always been ‘Jalen Brunson’s good, but …’
• “It’s always that ‘but‘ like they’re going to say something negative … too slow, not athletic enough, too small, all those things that don’t measure heart. And that’s what I have.”

Now, Brunson has a resume only three other players in basketball history can match, with an NCAA title, a Naismith POY award, an NBA championship and a Finals MVP.

• His Company? Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan
• Winning Time: And to get there, Brunson played his best when the stakes were highest, averaging 9.9 4th-quarter points this postseason – the best mark by a champion since Dirk Nowitzki in 2011 (9.9)

That was capped by a legendary closing 12 minutes, as Brunson’s 15 4th-quarter points in Game 5 trail only Jordan’s 16 (Game 6, 1998) for the most in a title-clinching win since play-by-play data was first tracked in 1997.

But for Brunson, the moment wasn’t about history or pressure. It was about preparation.

• “Whenever I had the ball,” Brunson said after the final buzzer, “I was just thinking about me alone in the gym.”

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4. “OVER THE TOP”: BEN STILLER’S BEHIND-THE-SCENES CHAMPIONSHIP RIDE

For many fans, the scene is a dream.

Your favorite team ends a decades-long drought with a championship, and somehow, there you are in the locker room spraying champagne alongside them.

For Ben Stiller, a Knicks lifer, that was reality.

Shaun Powell has more on the Emmy-winning actor, writer, producer and diehard fan’s championship moment:

“Stiller and Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet and John Turturro and other A-listers sat up close and absorbed it all.

‘An over the top experience’ is how Stiller described being connected with the team for almost two months …

But Stiller, much like Lee and Chalamet, grew up in New York and therefore attached themselves to the Knicks very early and a while ago.

They’re real Knicks fans and because of their authenticity in that regard, doors were open to them — locker room doors.

‘It’s been incredible to be up close and live it.’ he said.” | Read More

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5. FINALS CELEBRATION ON FILM: 53 YEARS IN THE MAKING

The Knicks’ last championship came in an era when the game’s greatest moments were captured on film.

Fifty-three years later, spin back the ‘73 vibes with a few of our favorite Finals celebration photos on film.

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