The Knicks have accepted the White House invitation! Behind the championship parade: a record-breaking 10,000 police officers for security

During the program on June 18 (Beijing time), Knicks owner James Dolan confirmed that the team has agreed to the White House's invitation and will make the visit next season as NBA champions. Additionally, several news sources have shared insights into the planned victory parade, which will see 10,000 NYPD officers ensuring safety.

Dolan said on the show: "We just received the invitation and have accepted it. Specific arrangements are still being finalized... I've known the president for thirty years, and it's a great honor to lead the entire team to the White House."

During Trump's first term, no NBA champion team visited the White House. After winning the title in 2025, the Oklahoma City Thunder expressed interest in a White House visit but ultimately declined. The Thunder officially stated that while they had communicated with the White House and appreciated the president's invitation, scheduling conflicts made it impossible.

The champion Denver Nuggets also turned down an invitation from the Biden administration, citing scheduling issues, though the title-winning Celtics still made the traditional visit. The NBA champion's White House tradition began in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy invited the Boston Celtics. Since then, championship teams have followed suit for decades.

Additionally, multiple media outlets have reported on the upcoming championship parade.

New York Mayor Mamdani announced that the parade will start at 10 a.m. local time on June 18 (10 p.m. Beijing time on June 18), following the classic Broadway route: from Battery Park north to City Hall. Upon arrival, a special key ceremony will take place, with the mayor presenting the team with the key to the city.

Mamdani said: "This is the first ticker-tape parade in Knicks history. New Yorkers can finally celebrate a victory we've felt like we've been waiting a lifetime for. My peers, older residents—we all deeply understand this. So many years of heartbreak and close calls, countless near-misses—every year we told ourselves this might be the year, and now it's a dream come true. As New Yorkers, we couldn't ask for more."

This is the first time in Knicks history that they will hold a ticker-tape championship parade in the Canyon of Heroes. When the team won titles in 1970 and 1973, they did not hold this traditional celebration.

New York's first ticker-tape parade was held in 1886 to celebrate the completion of the Statue of Liberty. To date, the city has officially held 210 such parades, with the most recent in 2025 honoring Gotham FC's NWSL championship victory.

Jessica Lappin, head of the Alliance for Downtown New York, said: "The actual number of parades has long exceeded 200. Many are memorable: the welcome parade for Nelson Mandela after his release, the celebration for the Apollo 11 astronauts returning from the moon. In recent years, most parades have been for sports championships."

The parade is free and open to the public—no tickets required. However, the award ceremony inside City Hall requires tickets. The New York City government previously held a public lottery for 600 tickets, with a total of 347,000 people across the city applying.

The championship parade will also see the NYPD deploy 10,000 officers for security. This security deployment sets a record for the city's planned major event police presence, exceeding the staffing for New Year's Eve in Times Square.