Knicks owner appears to take swipe at Mamdani at NBA championship celebration, stiffs photo op with him
New York Knicks owner James Dolan did not appear to hide his feelings on Zohran Mamdani on stage at City Hall during the team's championship parade celebration.
Last week, New York Knicks owner James Dolan and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani got into a war of words regarding team watch parties.
Well, the two came face-to-face at City Hall to conclude the team's championship parade, and there sure appeared to be some tension on stage.
During the watch party battle, Dolan said in an interview that Mamdani was not a real Knicks fan. Perhaps the mayor took that to heart during his speech at City Hall as, standing mere feet from Dolan, he rattled off some of the team's best memories while name-dropping obscure and legendary players alike — including Charles Oakley, whom Dolan banned from MSG after their notorious brouhaha in 2017.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Mamdani spoke for roughly eight minutes in a fiery speech about the history of the team, the grind to the championship, the heartbreaking seasons and the perseverance necessary to finally bring a title to New York after 53 years.
Dolan, though, was short and sweet.
"I don't need your vote. I don't need to quote to you what happened. If you're real Knick fans you know it already," Dolan said.
Mamdani then issued keys to the city to staff and players, including Dolan and his son, both of whom seemed severely uninterested in a photo op. Both Dolans had handshakes with the mayor.
The Dolan-Mamdani beef is hardly new. The spat began during the election cycle when Mamdani used the Knicks logo for his campaign, and the team issued a cease-and-desist letter. The White House then used the Knicks logo in a post shortly after last year's election to say, "Trump Is Your President." The Knicks reached out to the White House who then removed the post.
"The Knicks remain neutral on political matters," the team said in a statement at the time. "We hope all our elected officials, whether current or recently elected, do a great job in office."
Before the City Hall portion of the celebration, Mamdani, in a Knicks jersey, was on Karl-Anthony Towns' and OG Anunoby's float that traveled up Broadway.
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