Knicks Fans Threw Eggs at Wembanyama — Now the Mayor Is Pleading for Peace Before Game 5

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a simple ask for Knicks fans ahead of Friday night’s Game 5 watch parties: don’t be jerks.

It’s a message that wouldn’t have seemed necessary a week ago, but after a series of ugly incidents involving Knicks supporters during the NBA Finals, it’s become the pre-game headline no one expected. The Knicks are one win from their first title in 53 years, and the city is buzzing — but the buzz has been punctuated by arrests, harassment, and, weirdly, eggs.

According to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama was the target of an egg-throwing incident late Wednesday night outside the Spurs’ hotel. Multiple eggs were thrown in the direction of the rookie phenom, Charania confirmed on NBA Today. No arrests have been made, and the Spurs have since returned to San Antonio ahead of Game 5.

That incident followed a night of chaos after Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. NYPD reported 56 arrests in the five-block radius around the arena. The Spurs’ hotel was located in that same zone.

Enter the mayor.

Mamdani took to X on Friday with a message that was part pep talk, part public service announcement. He announced that official watch parties would be held at Plaza 33 outside MSG, Radio City Music Hall, and Wollman Rink, and urged fans to keep their celebrations in check.

“As we celebrate, be responsible, look out for one another, stay safe, be smart, and make this a night that reflects the very best of our city,” Mamdani wrote. “Let’s go Knicks.”

The mayor has also leaned into accessibility. On Friday, he announced that 130 LinkNYC kiosks across the city would stream Game 5 — a repeat of the successful rollout for Game 4, when fans gathered around the sidewalk screens to watch a comeback that Mamdani called “one of the greatest in basketball history.”

“The Knicks belong to all New Yorkers, whether you’re watching from the Garden or not,” Mamdani said. “More than a hundred kiosks will turn our sidewalks into watch parties and our streets into celebrations. Knicks in Five.”

The question now is whether the fans can match the mayor’s optimism with self-control. The Knicks are on the brink of history, but the city’s playoff run has also sparked a conversation about fan behavior — one that Mamdani is trying to steer before Game 5 tips off.