Knicks win 1st NBA championship in more than 50 years, setting off pandemonium in NYC

The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs Saturday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, winning their first NBA championship in 53 years and setting off a giant party across the five boroughs of New York City.

The Knicks won 94-90 at the Spurs’ home court to a crowd that was packed with its fair share of Knick fans.

Back in the Big Apple, crowds across the city cheered as they watched from bars, outdoor watch parties and even outdoor kiosks. 

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson led the team with 45 points, capping an extraordinary run throughout the playoffs.

“I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m in awe. Whenever anyone count us out, we found a way to go do something about it,” he told ESPN’s Lisa Salters.

Brunson was named finals MVP and joined on stage by his father Rick, an assistant coach on the Knicks.

“It’s everything I’ve dreamed of, that’s why I came to New York,” Brunson said.

President Trump congratulates the Knicks

President Donald Trump gave his congratulations to the Knicks and their owner, his friend Jim Dolan, in a post early Sunday on his social media platform. 

“Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!! What a year it has been but, even more so, what incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four – Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball,” Trump said.

Trump also praised Brunson’s performance in the series and complimented the play of several other Knicks stars. Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden as Dolan’s guest, becoming the first sitting president to attend a finals game.

“Also, tonight, a superstar was born. His name is Jalen Brunson, and there are others, including, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and great Patriot, Mitchell Robinson!” Trump wrote.

In New York City, fans took to the streets to celebrate the long-awaited win. A huge crowd gathered outside Madison Square Garden, cheering enthusiastically as the win played out on a giant screen.

Some celebrations turned into mayhem

While most of the celebrations were peaceful, police said some of the revelry stepped over the line.

The New York Police Department said a 17-year-old was shot once in the foot during celebrations near West 42nd Street and Broadway. The injured teenager, who was in stable condition, was taken in a police squad car to Bellevue Hospital because an ambulance was blocked by crowds swarming the streets of Midtown Manhattan, authorities said.

Three people were in custody and a firearm was recovered at the scene, police said. Police did not detail a motive or release potential charges.

At least four people were slashed or stabbed during the post-game pandemonium, according to the New York Police Department.

About a block from Times Square, at the intersection of West 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, the Fire Department responded multiple school bus fires around 2:47 a.m. on Sunday.

Five school buses that were being used to transport soccer fans from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were set ablaze and damaged by people jumping on top of them or pounding them with baseball bats, according to the NYPD.

At least five NYPD vehicles were also badly damaged by people jumping on top of them and vandalizing them with baseball bats, smashing the windshields of the NYPD vehicles, authorities said.

Amid the jubilation, people climbed up light poles, traffic lights and scaffolding. Several large fights broke out as fans took over streets and avenues, refusing orders to disperse, according to NYPD. Ten NYPD officers were injured in the mayhem, including one who who was punched in the face and another who was struck with a glass bottle, authorities said.

In total, 63 people were arrested on charges stemming from aftermath of the Knicks’ victory, including assault on a police officer, criminal possession of weapon (a gun), criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration, according to the NYPD.

Mayor announces plans for victory parade

In parts of Brooklyn, fireworks went off, and cars and buses honked their horns, joining the loud chorus of cheers and cries from the fans.

The Knicks last won NBA championship in 1973. The last time the team made it to the Finals was in 1999 when they lost to the Spurs four games to one, with the final game taking place at the Garden.

The last time a New York City team won a professional basketball championship was two years ago when the New York Liberty won the WNBA Finals.

The Knicks’ Finals run was highlighted by tight scores, incredible plays and, in Game 4, the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.

Immediately after the win, the mayor’s office announced a ticker-tape parade for the team will be held at City Hall Thursday.

“For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks. And this team fulfilled that hope with grit, resilience and heart — just like the five boroughs itself.”

ABC News’ Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.