Knicks Championship and Me

Let’s rewind back to the 2000s: it was all about the Lakers and the 76ers

I don’t play or watch any sports. Maybe I watched March Madness when I was in college, but mainly the women’s games. At the parks in my neighborhood and other areas I regularly go to—including right outside the West 4th Street station—there were always men playing basketball. But I don’t watch games, so I never paid much attention. However, I knew some names of the basketball players that everyone seemed to know–Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal. I saw them on hip hop shows and in music videos, and everyone was talking about them. This is why someone like me, who doesn’t follow sports, even knew these players.

I didn’t realize until recently that the LA Lakers, with O’Neal, won the NBA championship in 2000, 2001, and 2002. I also found out that the Philadelphia 76ers with Iverson, reached the NBA Finals in 2001. (Maybe I heard it at the time, but forgot because I don’t follow sports.) That was exactly when their names were at the height of their fame. The Lakers were so Hollywood. Both the Lakers and the 76ers were loud and flashy. Their jerseys were part of the bling fashion and culture of the early 2000s. I remember even some New Yorkers wore Lakers and 76ers jerseys back then.

New York Knicks NBA Championship in 2026

New York’s attitude is cool, not flashy; it’s heritage, not novelty. Plus, it wasn’t the 2000s anymore—nothing blingy was necessary. Mayor Mamdani’s decision to celebrate and commemorate the Knicks championship with a “Ticker-tape” parade paid tribute to New York’s history. It not only united New Yorkers but also reminded us of the city’s rich traditions. At least, that’s how I see it.

Now that New York Knicks have won the championship, maybe people in Los Angeles and Philadelphia will also be wearing Knicks jerseys from now on. Haha.

Basketball-themed music videos from the 2000s

These are some of the catchy music videos I remember from the early 2000s. These videos played repeatedly on Video Music Box on NYCTV, the free local channel.

Back to me.

When Knicks were crowned NBA championship on June 13, of course, I wasn’t watching the game. That night was a night of celebration. People were ecstatic—I heard people screaming and cheering downstairs, upstairs, and outside my window. And that was that. I was not going to do anything about it.

However, when the mayor announced that the parade would take place on June 18, I kind of felt that I shouldn’t miss the chance to celebrate with my fellow New Yorkers. Still, I wanted to avoid the crowds by all means, so I didn’t plan to go to Manhattan at all that day. In fact, I wasn’t even planning to go anywhere until a friend reminded me, on the day of the parade, to join a gathering in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. But I didn’t have an outfit ready.

My neighborhood

When I finally decided to go out, I had to put together a Knicks-colored outfit within four hours. I already had a pair of cobalt blue shorts I had made in the late 2000s, but I didn’t have a top. I really wanted to wear something orange with a Knicks logo. I live on a gentrified avenue where almost no one was wearing Knicks colors that day. There were absolutely no shops on my avenue that I could think of where I could get Knicks-themed wearable items.

I knew that if I walked over to Nostrand Avenue around Fulton Street, I would be able to find something with a Knicks logo. So I went. Many people in that area were wearing Knicks T-shirts or hats on the streets. Many of them probably didn’t even have time to go to the parade in Manhattan—it was a Thursday. But the festivities continued throughout the less gentrified part of my neighborhood.

Local shops

The first store I went to only had T-shirts in men’s sizes, and the smallest size would have required me to make an alteration. They were $35. They had one that featured “Bronson” on it. If it had been the 2000s, I’m sure I would have been aware of who he was through media, even unintentionally, but today’s algorithm-driven media had not exposed me to any information about him. Although I assumed he was a key member of the team, I didn’t know who he was, so I didn’t feel comfortable wearing it.

I went to another store where both men’s and kids’ sizes were available. Men’s were $20 and kids were $15. I needed Kids’ large for myself. They didn’t have any Knicks T-shirts in my size anymore, but they let me choose a solid-color T-shirt and had the graphic design heat-transferred onto it right on the spot.

They only had one kind of Knicks design transfer left. This design depicted anthropomorphized basketball and the lettering “Knicks” with an incorrect font. It looked like a complete bootleg but I liked it because it had a vintage feel to it. It was easy to tell that it wasn’t authentic, but no one should care. As a person who’s not a fervent fan of basketball, the bootleg design actually suited me better.

I needed a bag to go with the outfit.

For the Knicks-colored outfit, I had a perfect blue bag that would have matched it, but this cute mini bag I got without thinking doesn’t fit my smartphone. So I rarely used it. Plus, I wasn’t going into the city—I was just hanging out in my neighborhood. Therefore, I preferred carrying a tote bag instead of this premium-quality leather bag.

I’ve made a few mini totes before, but I didn’t have one in a color to match the Knicks. So, I decided to make one in white within like half an hour. The white twill fabric I used is the same fabric I used for the waistband of the cobalt blue shorts I was going to wear. So it matched perfectly ♡

Mini basketballs I received in the giveaway bags at some parties in the 2000s.