NEW YORK (AFP) — Tens of thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily guarded victory parade, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange to mark their basketball team’s National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals victory.

Chants of “Let’s go Knicks” rippled through the dense crowd, made up of some who paid hundreds of dollars for line sitters to wait overnight and save them a space to watch the procession.

“The Knicks unite the city unlike any other team. We were starved for so long,” said Anthony Martorelli, a 29-year-old retail worker.

New York erupted in jubilant scenes Saturday when the Knicks broke a 53-year drought to defeat the San Antonio Spurs away in Texas.

Thursday’s parade, organized by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s team, drew a security detail of 10,000 New York police officers — the force’s largest ever deployment for a planned event.

Public viewing pens to see the parade were already full three hours before the start, the NYPD said, prompting some late arrivals to scramble for alternatives.

In one case, dozens of fans scaled a city dump truck, deployed as a security measure, to catch a glimpse of the passing players and trophy.

A couple wearing their wedding day finery, a tuxedo and bow tie for the man and a cream dress for the woman, also wove through the crowds. A friend said they would tie the knot later.

“I think there’s been so much bad around America in the last couple of years, and it’s really nice to see this,” Martorelli said.

He spoke as cheers echoed off the skyscrapers dotted around the World Trade Center, where National Guard troops watched over the area.

IT teacher Jeff Gartner, 42, described the parade as “chaos” but said he brought his son along to witness a historic moment.

“This is probably a memory he’ll live with for the rest of his days,” Gartner said.

The parade saw the Knicks travel from Bowling Green at the bottom of Manhattan to City Hall, a 10-block route known as the “Canyon of Heroes.”

They were showered with 2,500 pounds (1.1 tonnes) of recycled confetti, according to the city, part of a ticker-tape parade that traces its origins to the late 1800s.

Later, Mamdani awarded the Knicks the symbolic key to the city at City Hall, where Grammy winner Alicia Keys sang “Empire State of Mind” — the smash hit she recorded with Jay-Z in 2009.

“What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy,” said Mamdani, wearing a blue and orange Knicks jersey over a shirt and tie with a suit jacket.

“For as long as we live, we will remember this feeling of a city together, a city alive, a city overcome by happiness,” he added.

Jalen Brunson, named the 2026 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, thanked Knicks fans for backing the team to clinch the championship.

“Somehow, some way, I knew we were going to find a way to get this done,” Brunson said.

New York, already swarming with football supporters for the World Cup, faced traffic chaos with street closures enforced across Manhattan during the parade.

But for many lifelong Knicks fans, the disruption was justified, as Thursday’s parade marked an emotional culmination of years of following the team.

James Smallwood, a 62-year-old retiree, recalled his memories of when the Knicks last won the Finals all the way back in 1973.

“I was nine, doing New York stuff, riding bikes and playing tag, and I remember my sisters drinking Miller High Life when the Knicks won.

“That’s when I became a fan. I’m a five-time cancer survivor, so this means so much to see.”