Knicks Watch Party Canceled Amid Dispute Between Team Owner and Mayor

Hours before Game 4 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, a dispute led to the cancellation of the watch party outside Madison Square Garden. The contention involved James Dolan, the Knicks’ owner, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Each blamed the other for the event’s cancellation.

In a post on social media platform X, Mayor Mamdani announced that Dolan had ‘decided to cancel the watch party,’ describing the decision as ‘breaking hearts across our city.’

During a radio interview on ‘The Craig Carton Show,’ Dolan accused Mayor Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch of implementing enhanced security measures on Monday. He suggested that their actions were aimed at disrupting the team’s playoff success, a journey that has energized New York City’s fanbase eager for the franchise’s first championship in over five decades.

‘This is about celebrating the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, at the Mecca of basketball,’ Dolan declared. ‘This is what the mayor’s office and the commissioner’s office is trying to kill. They don’t want the celebration.’

A Police Department spokeswoman stated earlier that Wednesday the department was ready to staff the event. She mentioned that the permit for the watch party had been approved by the city.

This story is ongoing and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Santul Nerkar reports on federal courts in Brooklyn for the Times. Maia Coleman covers the New York Police Department and criminal justice for the Times in the New York area.