Raptors’ RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley get Mamdani shoutout at Knicks’ parade

New York City mayor clearly knows his New York Knicks history, as speech showed.

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Published Jun 18, 2026  •  Last updated 22 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy and the Bob Cousy Trophy during the ticker tape parade and victory rally in New York City celebrating their NBA championship on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Photo by Angelina Katsanis /Getty Images

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A couple of Toronto Raptors got unexpected recognition at the New York Knicks’ NBA championship parade on Thursday in Manhattan.

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New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani charmed the partisan crowd by shouting out a series of former Knicks who he said he and other fans of the team enjoyed backing over the past decades, even when the team struggled.

“For 53 years we have waited,” Mamdani began, before recounting great and not so great memories since.

Big names mentioned

There were big names like Amar’e Stoudemire, who was one of the biggest free agent signings in Knicks history back in 2010, Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin (a member of the 2019 champion Raptors) plus the second Raptors first round draft pick ever, Marcus Camby, who was traded for Charles Oakley (also mentioned of course) and plenty of players only hardcore fans probably recalled (like Langston Galloway, Mardy Collins, and Renaldo Balkman).

Near the end, Mamdani paid respect to RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, two popular Knicks who were traded to Toronto to acquire OG Anunoby on Dec. 30, 2023. Barrett had been seen as somewhat of a franchise saviour when he was picked third overall in 2019 (Barrett is one of only three Top 3 picks the Knicks have had since 1979) and was a fan favourite. Quickley, the 25th pick in 2020, was a runner-up for the sixth man of the year award as a Knick and impressed with his scoring exploits, primarily off the bench.

“This championship belongs to them too, because championships aren’t just built in one season.” Mamdani said. “It belongs to Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle (the latter two dealt to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns), and also to a coach who also laid the groundwork, Tom Thibodeau,” Mamdani said.

“What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy.”

The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games, losing only once during their championship run.

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