NEW YORK – The Canyon of Heroes is ready to roar for the Knicks, with millions expected to flood Lower Manhattan on Thursday morning.
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart received a sneak preview of that reception. They tossed ceremonial first pitches before Wednesday night’s 10-5 win over the White Sox at Yankee Stadium – and offered a fresh reminder of exactly what the Yankees are chasing.
“I know tomorrow is just going to be otherworldly as far as the parade goes,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Those guys, I’m sure they’re having a pretty good week.”
The MVP of the NBA Finals, Brunson posted an impressive 32.6 points per game in the five-game victory over the Spurs to go alongside 4.6 assists. He has been in pinstripes before, throwing a first pitch and meeting with Aaron Judge back in 2024.
Hart, Brunson’s former Villanova teammate and a high-level defender, contributed 7.6 points per game and 9.8 rebounds throughout The Finals. Hart has an impressive Yankees connection; his great-uncle, Elston Howard, was the franchise’s first African-American player and is enshrined in Monument Park.
The Yankees are set to hold a Hart bobblehead night on Sept. 25 against the Orioles, an event that was scheduled before the Knicks’ playoff run – and promises to be an even hotter ticket now.
Judge, who attended the historic Game 4 comeback over the Spurs at Madison Square Garden, told Esquire in a story published Wednesday that he’ll never forget the experience.
“There’s a lot of winning going on in New York, so we got to keep that going,” Judge said. “I like the team we have. I like the opportunity we’ve got in front of us. It’s going to be an exciting rest of the year.
“A Knicks championship in June and a Yankees World Series in October would bring world peace.”
On Tuesday, Yankees players all donned Knicks gear for the team’s first home game following the conclusion of the NBA Finals, with the team claiming its first title since 1973.
Catcher J.C. Escarra, for example, looked game-ready in an authentic Miles McBride No. 2 jersey. Reliever Fernando Cruz cut an imposing figure in Brunson’s No. 11.
And Jazz Chisholm Jr. – who scored an invite to one of the Knicks’ parties at a high-end Lower East Side club on Sunday – was dressed head to toe in the franchise’s orange and blue.
Boone said he believes the city’s reception to the Knicks’ title has been “awesome.”
“It’s been a captivating run that they’ve been on, with a group that’s now been together for a couple of years,” Boone said. “Then on top of the 53 years since the championship, it’s been a great story. … I think this team, in the annals of the NBA, will be talked about for a long, long time.”