NYPD deploys 10,000 officers for Knicks parade
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and DEA Union President Scott Munro discuss unprecedented security for the New York City Knicks championship parade. More than 10,000 officers will be deployed, marking the largest planned security incident in NYPD history. Counter-terrorism units, including drone detection, are on high alert.
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The New York Police Department plans to deploy 10,000 officers to secure the New York Knicks’ ticker-tape parade on Thursday as the city celebrates the team’s first title in 53 years.
The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to capture the NBA Championship. It will be the first parade for the franchise since the city did not throw one for when the team won twice in the 1970s.
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New York Knicks fans react during Game One of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas on June 3, 2026. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE)
“There will be performances, there will be New Yorkers, there will be the team, and there will be history,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday.
The parade is set to start at 10 a.m. ET near Battery Park and come up Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes and finish at City Hall. Alicia Keys is set to perform at the event.
“We want people to enjoy this moment,” said New York Police Chief Jessica Tisch. “But public safety comes first.”
Banners hang over City Hall in New York as preparations take place ahead of the New York Knicks’ NBA Championship Ticker Tape Parade on June 17, 2026. (Alyssa Goodman/AP Photo)
A street sign reading “Champions Way” is erected along Broadway, known as the “Canyon of Heroes,” ahead of the New York Knicks’ ticker tape parade in New York on June 17, 2026. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
Knicks fans were already on NJ Transit and PATH trains Thursday morning to get into the city as officials told the reveling fans to arrive early and be prepared.
Officials said all entrants will be screened and pens were set to open at 6 p.m. 6 a.m. ET.
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No bags, glass or metal water bottles, batons, bicycles or scooters, chairs or coolers are allowed in the event. Those who work in office buildings along the parade route will be able to enter them with proper identification as well as those who live in the area.
The New York Knicks celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio on June 13, 2026. (Darren Abate/AP)
The Town Hall ceremony will be for ticketed fans only. In addition to the above restrictions, no pets, backpacks, strollers, umbrellas or weapons will be allowed.
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Fans and residents were told that the Bowling Green, Fulton, Brooklyn Bridge, Chambers and Park Place subway stations will be open, while the Wall Street and City Hall stops will be closed.
