Boulevard of Heroes: City Names Streets to Honor Champion Knicks

“New York is back!”

That was the reaction of Deshaun Dickerson, 26, a local clothing designer who discovered the street signs honoring New York Knicks players while spectating at a local basketball game in the Village at the famed West 4th Street Playground.

For the next month, Knicks supporters can find their favorite players' names afixed to street poles on numbered streets that were coordinated to match the number the player wore on his back during the team’s amazing run to its first NBA championship in 53 years. Number eleven Jalen Brunson can be found where West 11th Street intersects with Sixth Avenue.

For the next four weeks, starting June 29th, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has directed the Department of Transportation, to decorate Village streets with blue-and-orange street signs in honor of all the players who participated in their championship run that culminated on June 14.

Starting from West Houston St. for #0 Jordan Clarkson, to West 55th St. for Ariel Hukporti, the city created “a championship route through the heart of Manhattan,” according to the mayor's office.

“This New York Knicks team brought so much life to our streets during their magical playoff run, so it’s only right we return the favor,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a statement.

The D.O.T. has not made any statement regarding security measures in place to avoid the signs being stolen from the posts. Locals think the signs are safe from theft as fans are already worn out. “I think the signs are good; the Knicks fans wild out enough, lighting buses on fire, standing on cars; it was crazy,” Dickerson says. Yet the new sign for Jalen Brunson Boulevard on West 11th Street and 7th Avenue was installed considerably higher than most other signs.

“These street signs are a tribute to the players who delivered the championship generations of fans waited their whole lives to see and the city that stood behind them every step of the way,” says Mamdani.

Fans and visitors alike can find these signs up and down the west side of Manhattan as a visual reminder of the end of a 53-year drought between NBA championships. And this time, the city made sure not to mix up Dillon Jones number with the retired number 33 of Patrick Ewing as it did during the ceremony after the ticker tape parade. Jones had played eight games for the Knicks, and while he wore 33 when he played for other teams in his career, with the Knicks, he wore #1. His sign can be seen at Sixth Avenue and Bleeker Street.

Here’s where you can find the rest of the championship teams’ honorary street signs.

Sixth Avenue and West Houston Street –Jordan Clarkson #00.

Sixth Avenue and Minetta Lane–Miles “Deuce” McBride #2

Sixth Avenue and West 3 Street–Josh Hart #3

Sixth Avenue and West 4 Street–Pacôme Dadiet #4

Sixth Avenue and Washington Place–Jose Alvarado #5

Sixth Avenue and West 8th Street–OG Anunoby #8

Sixth Avenue and West 9th Street–Kevin McCullar Jr.# 9

Seventh Avenue South and West 11th Street–Jalen Brunson #11

Seventh Avenue and West 13th Street–Tyler Kolek #13

Seventh Avenue and West 20th Street–Jeremy Sochan #20

Seventh Avenue and West 23 Street–Mitchell Robinson #23

Seventh Avenue and West 25 th Street–Mikal Bridges #25

Seventh Avenue and West 32nd Street –Karl-Anthony Towns #32

Sixth Avenue and West 44 Street–Landry Shamet #44

Seventh Avenue and West 50 Street–Trey Jemison III #50

Seventh Avenue and West 51 Street–Mohamed Diawara #51

Seventh Avenue and West 55 Street–Ariel Hukporti #55