The New York Knicks’ long-awaited NBA championship sparked massive celebrations across Manhattan that turned chaotic overnight, leaving a teenager wounded by gunfire, several FIFA World Cup shuttle buses damaged and one vehicle engulfed in flames near Times Square.
Thousands of basketball fans poured into Midtown Manhattan late Saturday after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to capture their first championship since 1973. Jubilant supporters flooded bars, public viewing areas and city streets, chanting “Knicks in five!” as fireworks and smoke grenades lit up the night.
The celebration marked a historic milestone for the franchise, which had not lifted the NBA title in more than half a century. The Knicks had previously reached the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999 but fell short on both occasions.
As the crowds grew larger into the early hours of Sunday, violence erupted around Times Square. According to Reuters, a 17-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the foot at around 2 a.m. Police detained three persons of interest while investigating the shooting.
The unrest also affected transportation linked to the FIFA World Cup. Approximately 15 shuttle buses transporting spectators from the Brazil versus Morocco World Cup match in the New York metropolitan area became surrounded by large crowds after arriving in Times Square.
Witnesses reported that some fans climbed onto the roofs of the buses, entered the vehicles and even sat behind the steering wheels. One yellow school bus being used as a World Cup shuttle was set on fire, while at least three additional buses sustained significant damage during the disturbance.
Video footage from Reuters showed flames consuming one of the buses as emergency responders worked nearby. Authorities did not immediately confirm whether anyone was injured in the fire.
Some supporters carrying Brazilian flags joined the celebrations after attending the World Cup match, waving flags from atop one of the buses as Knicks fans continued celebrating around them. A man with a bloodied face was also seen walking through the crowds, although the cause of his injuries remained unclear.
“They are expressing their happiness, a little bit violently, but it is what it is,” Youssef Sabbr, a 49-year-old Canadian of Moroccan descent who had been aboard one of the World Cup shuttle buses before it was surrounded, told Reuters.
“That’s what happens everywhere around the world when a team wins,” he added.
As conditions deteriorated, New York police erected barricades and temporarily closed several streets around Times Square and Madison Square Garden. After allowing celebrations to continue for roughly two hours, officers wearing riot gear advanced to disperse the crowds.
Mounted police also entered the area, pushing people away from key intersections and gradually restoring order around the Knicks’ home arena.
Despite the disturbances, many supporters described the atmosphere as unforgettable. Carol Marino, a New York real estate agent who had watched the championship-clinching game at a local bar, compared the scene to one of the city’s biggest annual celebrations.
“Oh my God. It’s like New Year’s Eve times twenty,” she said.
Elsewhere across Manhattan, fans embraced one another, played drums, climbed scaffolding and traffic lights, and celebrated a championship many lifelong supporters had never witnessed before.
Among them were New York residents Dean and Christina Smiros, who said they had waited their entire lives to see the Knicks win another NBA title.
“They have not won since before we were born,” Christina said, reflecting the emotion shared by generations of Knicks supporters after ending one of the longest championship droughts in NBA history.
