Share This Article
The Knicks NBA Championship earned some New Yorkers facing eviction another day of reprieve. The city occasionally halts evictions due to health and safety risks, like extreme weather events, but rarely for celebrations.
The New York Knicks, who gave the city its first NBA championship in 53 years, have one more gift for New Yorkers.
The City’s Department of Investigation (DOI) instructed marshals to suspend all scheduled evictions Thursday in light of the Knicks parade. The civil court also halted any defaults—automatic judgements in favor of the landlord when a tenant does not appear in court.
Evictions are occasionally halted due to health and safety risks, but rarely for celebrations. DOI suspended evictions in late May due to excessive heat and numerous times this winter during the extreme cold. The NYC Marshals association also refrains from conducting evictions on Christmas and other winter holidays.
A spokesperson for the agency said that they had not recently suspended evictions for championship celebrations.
The Knicks parade is expected to draw more than 1 million attendees, the spokesperson said, causing significant disruptions. Evictions were not suspended for the most recent championship parade for the WNBA Champion New York Liberty, which took place in October 2024, estimated to have approximately 80,000 attendees.
“Upon consultation with the New York City Civil Court, in light of anticipated travel disruptions and limited access to court facilities, DOI hereby instructs marshals to suspend all scheduled evictions for Thursday, June 18, 2026,” read a letter from DOI Commissioner Nadia Shihata.
Manhattan’s housing court is near the parade route, but evictions and defaults will be suspended citywide. Courts will still be in session.
The Knicks will proceed through the city’s “Canyon of Heroes,” from Battery Park to City Hall in Manhattan Thursday morning. The “ticker tape” parade tradition stretches back to 1886, when a spontaneous celebration broke out after the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, with people in adjacent buildings tossing rolls of “ticker tape” paper used at stock brokerages into the air.
The Knicks championship has brought the city together like few times in its history, causing celebrations in the streets.
But some will still won’t be able to attend Thursday’s festivities: Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was unable to give the day off to the city’s public school students, some of whom have exams that morning.
The reprieve for tenants will be temporary in a city with a mounting housing crisis.
Evictions have been on the rise in New York City after they slumped during the pandemic. City marshals conducted over 19,000 evictions in 2025, the most since 2019. As of April, the city was on pace to match that figure in 2026.
To reach the reporter behind this story, contact [email protected]. To reach the editor, contact [email protected]
Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.