Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart threw ceremonial first pitches at Yankee Stadium Wednesday as the Knicks continued their first NBA championship celebration since 1973, ahead of a predicted record-setting ticker-tape parade in lower Manhattan.
NEW YORK — The Knicks’ championship week rolled on Wednesday night, and it arrived in pinstripes.
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart walked onto Yankee Stadium’s field before the Yankees played the Chicago White Sox, drawing a standing ovation from fans as they took in a montage of highlights from New York’s title run.
Standing in front of the mound, Brunson wore Yankees pinstripes and threw his ceremonial first pitch to backup catcher J.C. Escarra. Hart then made his toss to utilityman Max Schuemann.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the moment the kind of event that builds energy for everyone around it. “Oh, I think’s it been awesome,” Boone said. “What a fun team to get behind and just the story of that team and how it’s come together over the last couple of years and just a lot of grit. a lot of mental fortitude and to see the fanbase and then some galvanized around that club has been a lot of fun to witness.”.
The appearance came after Brunson and Hart were honored earlier in the week. They made appearances on NBC’s “The Today Show” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on Monday, and also appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
This ceremony was staged a day before the Knicks are set to be honored with a massive ticker-tape parade in lower Manhattan. Mayor Zohran Mamdani predicted Thursday’s celebration could be “the largest parade in New York City history.”
The parade will also mark a rare moment in Knicks history: it would be the first for the franchise. The Knicks previously won their first two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. After those titles, then-Mayor John Lindsay celebrated the team at the mayoral mansion and City Hall.
For Brunson, this wasn’t his first trip to Yankee Stadium for the ritual. He threw out a first pitch for the second time since joining the Knicks—doing it before a Mets-Yankees game in July 2024, shortly after signing a four-year, $156.5 million contract to stay with New York.
On the basketball side, Brunson’s climb to the top has been measured in numbers and stakes. In the Knicks’ five-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. he averaged 32.6 points and won MVP honors. He also delivered in the clinching moment, scoring 45 points in New York’s 94-90 win in Game 5.
Hart brought his own Yankees connection to the night. He is a great-nephew of former Yankees catcher Elston Howard, whose No. 32 jersey is retired by the team. Howard is also honored with a plaque in Monument Park.
The Knicks’ postseason run ended with a finish that turned into a story of momentum and margin. New York went 16-3 in the postseason. an .842 winning percentage that matched the 2024 Boston Celtics for second-best since the format changed to best-of-seven series in all NBA playoff rounds beginning in 2003. The 2017 Golden State Warriors went 16-1.
New York won 13 consecutive postseason games, second to Golden State’s 15 in a row in 2017. The team also set records by winning nine straight road games and outscoring its postseason opponents by 283 points.
Boone emphasized the feeling behind the numbers—how a team becomes a narrative, then a habit for fans. “It’s just been a captivating run that they’ve been on and with a group that’s now been together for a couple of years and then on top of the 53 years since a championship. it’s been a great story and a fan base that has come to know several of these guys as they’ve kind of climbed that ladder to ultimately winning a championship. ” Boone said. “So I think it’ll be one of the historic teams that we talk about when it comes to the NBA.”.
There are only a few days between the crowd at the ballpark and the crowd waiting for the parade route. And with Thursday’s ticker-tape celebration looming—potentially the biggest in city history—the Knicks’ championship tour kept finding new stages to match the moment.
Knicks Jalen Brunson Josh Hart Yankee Stadium ticker-tape parade Aaron Boone NBA championship Zohran Mamdani
Love it, but why are NBA guys throwing pitches at a baseball game?
That’s so New York lol. I’m just surprised they didn’t throw it to Judge or something. Also ticker-tape parade always sounds like it’s gonna be chaos.
Wait so Brunson is wearing Yankees pinstripes?? I thought he was like a Knicks lifer, but I guess everybody just borrows colors. And they’re honoring them at Yankee Stadium and then doing parade tomorrow, like baseball and basketball just merge now? Not sure how I feel, but the fans standing ovation part is cool.
I saw this headline and assumed the Knicks won at the Yankees or something, like it was some weird crossover game?? But it’s just ceremonial first pitches which honestly, ok, whatever. Zohran Mamdani saying it’s the biggest parade ever is a bold claim too… last time they said that it was like a regular street thing. Anyway I hope they actually shut down the streets enough, because lower Manhattan is already a mess.