Chaos outside Knicks watch party after Game 3 resulted in arrests, 5 NYPD officers injured
What began as a calm, yet spirited gathering of New York Knicks fans on the manicured lawn of Bryant Park quickly turned chaotic Monday night, with more than 20 people taken into custody, five NYPD officers injured and video footage showing people in San Antonio Spurs attire being verbally and physically harassed.
A crowd estimated at 7,000 people was in the vicinity of Bryant Park after the Knicks’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals when a large group took over 42nd Street and refused to disperse, according to a police spokesperson.
“New Yorkers are understandably passionate about the Knicks, and the overwhelming majority of fans watched the game last night in ways that were both safe and fun,” said a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “But the fights and other disruptive incidents — including assaults on police officers — in various parts of the city are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
After enhanced security protocols due to President Donald Trump’s attendance at Game 3 displaced the outdoor Plaza 33 watch party at Madison Square Garden, fans sought an alternate location.
One popular watch party was held at Bryant Park, which the city announced Monday morning. The party, which was initially said to be limited to 5,000, was free and open to the public; however, registration was required to attend.
Around 10 p.m., just beyond the walls of Bryant Park on 42nd Street, a large crowd began to gather. Several NYPD officers assigned to patrol the party darted toward the perimeter, and police radio chatter reverberated throughout the park as the fourth quarter began.
“Go back on the lawn,” one officer said over a megaphone as a group of curious park attendees wandered closer to the exterior gates. The outside crowd became increasingly rowdy, violent and destructive, according to police.
As fans left Bryant Park after the game, the crowd overflowed onto the neighboring streets. Fights broke out between multiple groups of young men. One woman danced on top of an NYPD cruiser. A group of fans mobbed a taxi with the driver still inside. Glass bottles rocketed across the crowd. Bus signs and trees were ripped out of the ground to throw.
A video circulating online appears to show NYPD officers deploying pepper spray to quell the violence.
The tension between Knicks supporters and individuals wearing San Antonio Spurs attire heightened and, at one point, a Victor Wembanyama jersey was ripped apart by a group of apparent Knicks fans. A video shows one fan in a Spurs jersey leaving the scene with a bloodied face. Other fans in Spurs jerseys were seen running through the streets as objects and obscenities were hurled at them.
“We’re just playing a game out there. I’m all for passion, but to the respect of each other,” Wembanyama said Tuesday when asked about the altercations.
Spurs guard Julian Champagnie, who is from New York, echoed that sentiment: “It’s just not necessary. No one should be coming to the game and getting assaulted like that. It’s not what we’re promoting. It’s not what we’re playing for.”
By early Tuesday morning, 21 people were taken into custody with eight arrested and charged, the NYPD said. Thirteen others were released with criminal court summonses, two people were charged with assault on a police officer, and one was charged with attempted assault on a police officer.
As of Tuesday, a watch party for Game 4 on Wednesday is still set to take place outside of MSG.
