The celebration that New Yorkers waited more than half a century for arrived in full, electric force Thursday at City Hall, where the 2026 NBA champion New York Knicks were honored with keys to the city following a championship parade marked by music, celebrity performances and an outpouring of New York City pride.

Thousands packed City Hall Plaza as Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised the team not just for its title, but for the unity it sparked across the five boroughs during its improbable postseason run.

“Over these past weeks, as the Knicks kept winning, our city has come together as one,” Mamdani said.

“So often when the city comes together, it is because we are forced to by a moment of tragedy or adversity,” he added. “What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy.”

The Knicks’ championship is their first in 53 years. The team celebrated in New York style.

The ceremony’s centerpiece came when Mamdani presented the Keys to the City, one of New York’s highest civic honors, to the entire organization.

"We really did it," said MVP and Knicks team captain Jalen Brunson. "We wouldn't trade this for the world."

For a city more accustomed to bonding in hardship than celebration, Thursday marked a rare and cherished moment.

“A city together, a city alive,” Mamdani said.