Photos from the New York Knicks parade: 'Greatest day of my life'

New Yorkers lined the streets of lower Manhattan Thursday morning to watch the New York Knicks parade down Broadway to celebrate the team's first NBA championship since 1973.

The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday, winning 94-90 at the Texas team's home court.

Confetti filled the air as dozens of parade floats and buses made their way down New York City's most famed streets. A crowd estimated at more than a 2 million people at the parade and surrounding area cheered on players, coaches, high-profile fans, city workers and more on Thursday, according to the New York Police Department.

Julio Machicote, who attended the parade with family members ,shared the importance of the moment.

"This is by far, probably, the greatest day of my life... I'm here with my son, you know what I'm saying. Got him to be a Knicks fan this year," he told "Good Morning America." "Well, Saturday was the best day of my life, I would say this is the second best day of my life."

Matthias, Machicote's young son, added that Thursday was the "best day" of his life after "many years" of Knicks seasons falling short.

Oscar Machicote, who attended with Mathias and Julio, expressed relief at his team finally coming out on top.

"We finally made it. We're here. The Larry O'Brien [Championship Trophy] is in New York. It belongs to us," he said.

The championship parade seemed to inspire hope and joy in Knicks fans who waited more than five decades to reach the pinnacle of basketball.

"I been waiting 50 years for this," Joe Moledo, who grew up in New York but has since moved to Florida, told ABC News.

Johnny X, an artist in attendance, pondered what the Knicks win may mean for his future.

"This is like it's another level, because when the Yankees won 2009, the next year my daughter was born, so this year, the Knicks win, let's see what the future is going to come," he said.

The procession saw several Knicks players, including Jalen Brunson, exit floats to greet fans.

Along with team staff and players, celebrities including Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Martha Stewart, Teyana Taylor and more were spotted at the celebration.

After the parade, the team arrived at City Hall where Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a ceremony, awarding the team -- which includes star players Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby -- Keys to the City, an example of which he showed on "GMA" earlier in the week.

"New York City, This team has done it. The New York Knicks are NBA champions. We are here not just because of this team that will go down in New York City legend," Mamdani said to a cheering crowd, paying tribute to past Knicks who paved the way for the 2026 champions. "This is our city. This is our team. For 53 years, we watched. For 53 years, we waited. Now, we've won."

The ticker-tape parade kicked off near a downtown park at 10 a.m. ET and worked its way north up Broadway. All of the viewing pens were full before 8 a.m. ET, according to the NYPD.

Ahead of the parade, Mamdani joined "GMA" and called the event "a parade of immense excitement across our city, and frankly, even across the region."

He walked through the design of the Key to the City which he gave to the Knicks.

"This is the Key to the City we will be presenting to each of the players and it is the first key that our administration is giving out, since it's been only six months," Mamdani said. "It is designed by Azra Khafan. It is manufactured by him, designed by Aneesh Bhoothaphy, and the typography of the key is actually designed by Tobias Frere-Jones, who designed the typography of the 9/11 museum."

Knicks point guard Jose Alvarado also joined "GMA" ahead of the parade and said getting to celebrate with fans in his hometown is extra meaningful to him.

"Knicks, we won, and that's amazing. But I'm from here, and it's like, it's just home, different," Alvarado said. "I've been a Knicks fan since I was born, right? My parents [have] been Knicks fans. Just seeing this progress, that everything happened, can't really be put in words. It's just special to me. It's real special."

After the key ceremony, Alicia Keys took the stage at City Hall -- which was draped in Knicks flags and player names and numbers -- for a live performance of "Empire State of Mind" to celebrate the team.

The ticker-tape parade was a first for the Knicks, who did not celebrate with the famed tradition during their last wins in 1970 or 1973, according to the AP, who noted the winning team celebrated at other New York City locations instead.

The last ticker-tape parade to come for the city belonged to the New York Liberty in 2024 following their WNBA championship win, according to Downtown Alliance, which compiles research on the parades.

The Downtown Alliance notes the tradition of the ticker-tape parade began in 1886 when Wall Street workers threw ticker-tape out the window to celebrate the Statue of Liberty unveiling.

The victory events were heavily secured, drawing the largest number of police officers ever assigned to a planned event, the NYPD said Wednesday.

More than 10,000 members of the NYPD safeguarded the route. There were nine arrests, the NYPD said.

The celebration comes after an awe-inspiring playoff run which saw the Knicks secure the team's first NBA title in more than 50 years with a 4-1 series win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks' starting five joined "GMA" Monday and discussed what the parade and what the championship means to the city.

"To see great New York teams have that moment and for it to finally be our time, you know, it's one of those things you always dream of as a kid, especially growing up in the area," said Karl-Anthony Towns, a New Jersey native, on "GMA" this week.

"You never know if you're even going to be able to attend the parade and get close enough to see the greats, but to be the ones actually doing the path, and following behind some amazing legends before us in New York history. I think it's going to be something really, really special," he added.

Knicks guard Mikal Bridges added with a smile, "I just want to bring my dog on the float."

Towns also touched on how much this championship means to a city and fanbase that has waited for success for so long, saying it "was healing happening in real life, in real time."

"Knicks fans have been asking for this moment for 27 years, since 1999," he said, referencing the team's last Finals appearance. "This is really a once-in-a-lifetime event you're watching in New York sports history."

In an interview that aired Tuesday, Knicks owner James Dolan also told WFAN that the team accepted an invitation to visit the White House to celebrate their championship title.

"We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details," Dolan said. "I invited the president to come down for the game, right? He is a friend. I've known him for 30 years and I'm very proud to bring the team to the White House."

In a statement to ABC News, the White House said they have been in "touch" with the Knicks and will host the team at a future date -- still to be determined.

ABC News' Aaron Katersky and Isabella Murray contributed to this report.