NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's estimated that over two million people celebrated the Knicks on Thursday as the Parade of Champions honored the team's first NBA championship since 1973.
Following the parade, Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted a championship celebration and Key to the City ceremony on City Hall Plaza.
After the ceremony, Alicia Keys sang her iconic hit "Empire State of Mind."
The ticker-tape parade was a first for the Knicks, who did not celebrate with the famed tradition during their last wins in 1970 or 1973.
The celebration comes after an awe-inspiring playoff run which saw the Knicks secure the team's first NBA title in more than 50 years with a 4-1 series win over the San Antonio Spurs.
NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson made a speech at the Knicks championship celebration at City Hall on Thursday.
He talked about how all of the behind the scenes people helped bring the team together to be able to win the championship.
Brunson added, "Most importantly thank you to the fans. I'm not going to lie, you all are some pretty hard critics, but we appreciate you all, at least I do."
Mike Brown talked about leading the New York Knicks to victory during his speech at City Hall during the championship celebration.
He said he was proud of the team and proud to be a part of the New York Knicks.
He thanked the fans for being a part of their journey to victory.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered speech honoring the championship winning New York Knicks at City Hall during a special ceremony.
The team was honored with keys to the city.
Mamdani rode a float with team members earlier in the day down the Canyon of Heroes.
