NBA Champion Tyler Kolek Got Mistaken for a Fan at the Knicks Parade. It Gets Better.

The New York Knicks finally ended a 53-year championship drought by beating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The parade through the Canyon of Heroes was everything fans dreamed of. Confetti. Smiling players. The whole city buzzing. And somewhere in that chaos, rookie Tyler Kolek almost got tossed into the crowd like he was just another guy trying to crash the party.

Kimberley Martin posted video on X showing Kolek rushing over to greet fans lining the parade route. Multiple NYPD officers immediately stepped in front of him. One cop looked like he was about to physically redirect the 25-year-old toward the barricades. You can see Kolek looking genuinely confused before a Knicks staff member swooped in and pulled him back toward the team.

The thing is. Kolek barely played in the playoffs. He logged 53 total minutes across the entire postseason and didn’t touch the floor for a single second in the Finals. His last game action came in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland. So maybe the officers can be forgiven for not recognizing him instantly.

But Kolek took the whole thing in stride. He posted on X: “I swear I’m on the team bro 😂😂😂.” It’s the kind of self-aware humor that makes you root for a guy who spent most of the playoffs in warmups but still gets a ring.

His Regular Season Numbers Tell a Different Story

Kolek wasn’t just a bench warmer all year. He appeared in 62 regular season games and started one of them. The point guard averaged 4.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. Not flashy numbers but the kind of consistent depth that helps a team survive an 82-game grind.

New York acquired him in a draft-night trade with Portland after the Trail Blazers selected him at No. 34 in the 2024 NBA Draft. He’s still trying to carve out a permanent spot in the Knicks rotation. That’s the reality for a second-round pick on a championship team. You don’t always get the glory but you definitely get the parade.

And the ring. Which is forever. Even if the NYPD needs a little convincing.