Pat Kiernan: Mayor Mamdani announced the parade with a three-word social media post sent in the wee hours of yesterday morning. The three words in that message were: "Parade, Thursday, Manhattan." I think you might have just heard the voice of the mayor on the phone with me. Mayor Mamdani, good morning.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning. How you doing, Pat?
Kiernan: That was all you could muster between the celebrations yesterday morning, was a three-word social media post?
Mayor Mamdani: I think we just wanted to get the word out as quickly as possible because as soon as the game finished, my phone started to ring of when it was going to be. And we thought it best to let everyone know. As you said, we're very excited for it. It's been 53 years of waiting. And frankly, even though we won a championship in '73, this will be the first ticker-tape parade in Knicks' history.
Kiernan: Yeah, I found that astounding. Different mayors have had different interpretations of what merits a ticker-tape parade. I have covered Giuliani ticker-tape parades, Bloomberg ticker-tape parades, de Blasio ticker-tape parades, Adams ticker-tape parades. And they've all worked off a pretty similar script: parade up the Canyon of Heroes, ceremony in City Hall and then a more public ceremony outside City Hall. Are you working off that basis, or are you doing anything new?
Mayor Mamdani: That gives us the foundation. And we're going to be releasing a few additional details over the next few days. What I will say is that it is going to start at 10 a.m. by Battery Park. And yes, it will travel along the Canyon of Heroes. It will arrive at City Hall. And there's going to be players; there's going to be city employees; there are going to be so many people for whom this has been a dream for their entire life.
Kiernan: We're looking at some video from past ticker-tape parades. Huge crowds. I wonder, though, with the unity that we have seen behind this New York Knicks team, could this be the biggest ever?
Mayor Mamdani: I think there is a real chance of that being the case. It's both what this means to the entire city and what this means to a fan base that has waited for more than five decades. And that's not even mentioning this run itself over the course of the finals and the playoffs. I mean, this is an incredible team that has brought this city together in a way that we often only see in moments of tragedy, but in a moment of joy this time. And for it to be Jalen Brunson as our captain in 2026 after his father was on the last Knicks team to be in the finals in '99. They lost to the Spurs 4-1; we beat the Spurs 4-1. It really feels like it was written in the stars.
Kiernan: It sure felt good as we were out there. I want to get into the scheduling that your team went through with this, because we have complications this week, including the Regents exams. How did you ultimately settle on Thursday to do this?
Mayor Mamdani: This is something that we settled on in partnership with the Knicks Organization. And as a fan, you never want to jinx something. But as a mayor, you have to plan in advance of anything. And so, we had been doing the work in advance in any likelihood that we were winning even Game Four, Game Five, that we would be ready to turn this around quickly. And in the event of Game Five, Thursday was the best day given everything. I know that there will be some who won't be able to be there, especially students who are taking their Regents. But this is something that I know so many New Yorkers are looking forward to. And we can't wait to have them. And I think the other point I'll just mention is that one of the key things we wanted to make sure was that players and their families could be here. So, I know there are some who may have wanted a quicker turnaround. But we had to make sure that everyone could bring everyone that meant something to them from the team to the parade itself.
Kiernan: And I just want to set the clear expectation here. There's no opportunity for rescheduling of the Regents, for forgiveness on the Regents. If you were a student who was expected to take the Regents, the parade is not an option.
Mayor Mamdani: My encouragement would be that you should still be taking the Regents. Unlike the executive order for bedtimes, this is something I cannot repeal.
Kiernan: Is the executive order for bedtime still in effect? I guess we're good now on that, right? Bedtime has resumed in New York?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, it's being litigated at the highest level of the City government as to whether or not it continues through the parade.
Kiernan: I want to talk about what happened, especially in Midtown as people celebrated on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. We have seen this not just in New York, but in other cities as well, where fans use these sports celebrations as an opportunity for a level of mayhem. I don't think that will happen again in the daytime hours at the parade. The parades have a history of being big events and more family oriented. But what will you do to make sure that crowd control is on that area throughout lower Manhattan?
Mayor Mamdani: I think first and foremost, working closely with the NYPD on ensuring that this is a moment where New Yorkers can celebrate safely. And I want to just say, thank you for the work that they did over the course of this finals run and on Saturday evening; because while the vast majority of New Yorkers celebrated responsibly, as you said, there were a select few who acted in a way that does not represent who we are as a city. It is, frankly, unacceptable when we see violence, whether it's directed at those around them or at police officers. And I am hopeful of both the planning and the preparation that we have put in place for Thursday. And I think, as you said as well, the nature of a parade at 10 in the morning is also slightly different than the nature of an impromptu celebration at midnight on a Saturday. But the thing that will be consistent is the NYPD being a critical part of delivering that safety.
Kiernan: Alright, Mayor Mamdani, so again, 10 o'clock is the key time for the parade on the Canyon of Heroes, correct?
Mayor Mamdani: Yes, and I would encourage people to come as early as they can. Because as you and I both know, this is a moment so many have been waiting for. And I think we may very well see the largest parade in our city's history.
Kiernan: Alright, I have a final bone to pick with you. I heard that you're trying to host a morning show ahead of the World Cup games.
Mayor Mamdani: Let me be clear, it's only for the New York-New Jersey games. There's seven more. I would never dream of competing with you.
Kiernan: Okay, okay, as long as it's only seven. Otherwise, we're going to have to try to come to certain negotiation.
Mayor Mamdani: There's only one Pat Kiernan.
Kiernan: Alright. Well, now that you've said that I'm going to let you go. Mayor Mamdani, we appreciate it. Looking forward to the parade. And of course, we'll have live coverage on NY1 on Thursday. Thanks for joining us.
Mayor Mamdani: Always, thank you for having me. All the best.
