The New York Knicks haven’t even held their championship parade yet, but the team’s stars are already getting treated like royalty — this time on a soccer pitch.
OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Deuce McBride showed up at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday for a World Cup group-stage clash between France and Senegal. The trio, still buzzing from the Knicks’ five-game NBA Finals win over the San Antonio Spurs, walked into the New Jersey venue to a standing ovation from fans who clearly haven’t tired of celebrating the franchise’s first title in 53 years.
Video of the moment posted by FOX Soccer shows the players waving to the crowd as cheers rain down. The Knicks’ championship run — capped by a historic comeback in Game 4 and a gritty closeout in Game 5 — has turned the team into the darlings of New York sports. And the love is spilling over into other arenas.
Anunoby, in particular, is riding a wave of adoration. His 33-point outburst in Game 4 included a game-winning tip-in with seconds left, sparking the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. The Knicks erased a 21-point deficit that night, then rallied from 16 down in Game 5 in San Antonio to finish off the Spurs.
For context: New York hasn’t held a championship parade since 1973. That drought ended Thursday when the Knicks will roll through the streets of Manhattan. But the team didn’t wait to start the party. Earlier this week, several players made the rounds on national talk shows, including Good Morning America and The Tonight Show.
What’s next for the champs? According to reports, the front office is prioritizing keeping the core intact. Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet headline the free-agent class, but the expectation around the league is that the Knicks will make a strong push to retain both. Jalen Brunson, who arrived in 2022 and flipped the franchise’s trajectory, is locked in as the leader.
For now, though, the focus is on the confetti. The parade is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of fans. And if Tuesday’s World Cup reception was any indication, the city hasn’t tired of cheering for this group.
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