Hollywood stars and longtime New York Knicks fans were out in full force Thursday as New York City honored the NBA champions with a parade through lower Manhattan. The celebration came after the Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years on Saturday.Celebrities attending the festival included filmmaker and Knicks fan Spike Lee, actor Timothée Chalamet, and actress Mariska Hargitay, all of whom were regulars at the games. The parade begins at 10 a.m. near Battery Park and heads north along Broadway through the famous Canyon of Heroes before ending at City Hall.Lee rode a float alongside NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. Chalamet, who attended every game of the NBA Finals, was greeted by “Let’s go, Knicks!” They were seen joining the crowd to cheer the team with slogans.Actor and director Ben Stiller was also seen taking part in the parade from a float. His spotting came just after he confirmed he was making a sports documentary about the New York Knicks. The actor shared that he was seen sitting courtside during the NBA Finals so much on his phone as he was working on a film about his favorite team in partnership with A24 for HBO with support from Madison Square Garden and the NBA. The film is set to chronicle the team’s journey from the 1990s through this year’s title run.Comedian Tracy Morgan, another lifelong Knicks fan, joined the celebration on Brunson’s float. The parade also featured performances by some of New York’s biggest music names. Alicia Keys took the stage to perform a rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” before launching into her own hit “Empire State of Mind,” the song that has become synonymous with the city.Several hip-hop stars also attended the festival. Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Group headlined a dedicated hip-hop float and were joined by fellow New York artists including Q-Tip, Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Fabolous, Ja Rule and MoP.Music icon Mary J. Blige and Yung Miami were also in attendance as thousands of fans lined the streets to celebrate the Knicks’ long-awaited return to championship glory.
