Category: Sports News

Knicks star Mikal Bridges brought his dog to the ticker-tape parade Thursday, following through on a plan he first revealed for Sonny — his 8-year-old Labrador — on “Good Morning America” earlier this week.

“I just want to bring my dog on the float. That’s it,” Bridges said.

In the lead-up to the parade, though, concerns rose about whether Sonny would be able to attend.

It wasn’t until Wednesday that Bridges confirmed the Labrador would be in the parade through an Instagram story.

“It’s official. Sonny’s got a spot on the float,” he said.

Sonny has been seen throughout the Knicks’ celebrations, most notably dancing with Bridges during his Instagram livestream on Monday.

Knicks coach Mike Brown will likely enjoy Sonny’s presence at the parade after he went viral post Game 5 for singing “Who Let the Dogs Out” in the locker room with the team, during the trophy ceremony, and in the postgame press conference.

“We got some dogs on this team, baby,” Brown said after the 94-90 win against the Spurs.

The head coach also joined in on the fans’ rendition of the song before the parade began.

Bridges was one of those critical pieces for the Knicks, averaging 13.5 points per game in the playoffs, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and one steal.

The guards’ play was particularly important in a one-point Game 2 victory, in which he had 20 points on 61.5 percent shooting, adding six rebounds and six assists.

It was a good response after fans were getting on Bridges for the first five-round picks they gave up to get him.

“The times I’ve been struggling, the fans were on me — the thing is about me, I want to always be better,” Bridges said. “So whatever, how they feel, I always want to be better. They keep pushing me and if they strongly believe that we have a chance every year and if they strongly believe I have a chance to be better, I’m already thinking about that.”

The lucky bag is the exception to the rules.

The millions of fans who packed the Canyon of Heroes for the Knicks parade were prohibited from bringing any type of bag — but Jordyn Woods was allowed to bring her iconic orange clutch.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ fiancée shared the orange ostrich version of her Woods by Jordyn Tux Clutch Mini with Mayor Mamdani, who was pictured posing with it on their float.

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Hizzoner was seen beaming ear-to-ear as he held up the famous purse.

Towns, with a cigar dangling from his mouth, raised the lucky handbag to the crowd as his other hand clutches the NBA trophy.

The bag was seemingly the only one allowed through the parade’s access points — bags in any form were included on the restricted list, which also included “weapons,” pets, umbrellas, coolers and more.

Woods’ orange clutch became famous during the Knicks’ postseason run after Woods sported it at the team’s first game of the playoffs.

The model, 28, told Vogue she made the bag just for the NBA playoffs — though it retails for $125.

It was dubbed a good luck charm as the team soared to their first NBA championship in 53 years.

“Once playoffs start, everything becomes part of the ritual if we keep winning,” she said at the time.

“At this point, I’m not risking changing anything.”

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson brought his family to the Knicks’ championship parade Thursday.

Brunson, the MVP of the 2026 NBA Finals, and his wife, Ali, were atop the Knicks’ bus with their daughter, Jordyn James, who turns 2 in July.

The youngster sported a tank top that said, “New York my dad’s the MVP Hallelujah.”

Ali wore a matching white tank with Brunson’s No. 11 and an orange apple on the front.

At one point, Brunson hopped down from the team’s bus and walked with the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy along the parade route.

Knicks WAGs, Jordyn Woods, fiancée of center Karl-Anthony Towns, and Shannon Hart, wife of guard Josh Hart, were all on the championship bus.

Woods brought her “lucky bag” that she wore to throughout the 2026 NBA Playoffs — and Towns and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani were posing with it.

Brunson also posed for photos with his good friend, “Law & Order: SVU” actress Mariska Hargitay, television personality Martha Stewart, New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

Other celebrities at the parade included Knicks superfans, director Spike Lee, actors Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller, and rapper Fat Joe.

Follow The Post’s live updates from the Knicks Championship parade for the latest city chaos, celeb sightings and sports reaction.

The ticker-tape parade was set to end at City Hall in Lower Manhattan, where a special civic ceremony would take place.

The Knicks beat the Spurs in five games the 2026 NBA Finals to clinch their first championship in 53 years.

Kyrie Irving hit the shot that helped deliver Cleveland its long-awaited championship.

A decade later, he was missing from the reunion.

Several members of the Cavaliers’ 2016 title team, including LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and J.R. Smith, have reunited in the United Kingdom for an ex-teammate getaway built around golf and sightseeing.

Irving, though, has not been part of the visible festivities.

Smith appeared to address the speculation in an Instagram comment under a post about the reunion, though he did not mention Irving by name.

“Missing none,” Smith wrote. “He was invited and ghosted us all. So stop with that bs.”

The comment quickly drew attention because of Irving’s central role in one of the most famous Finals runs in NBA history.

The Cavaliers became the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, stunning the 73-win Warriors in 2016 and delivering Cleveland its first major professional sports title since 1964.

Irving provided the signature moment.

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With less than a minute left in Game 7, he buried the go-ahead 3-pointer over Stephen Curry — a shot that remains one of the defining plays in Cavaliers history.

Irving and James were part of three straight Finals teams together in Cleveland, winning the title in 2016 before Irving requested a trade the following year.

He was eventually sent to the Celtics in 2017 after a controversial trade request, ending his six-season run with the Cavaliers.

His relationship with Cleveland has at times appeared complicated since then, though the importance of the 2016 championship has never faded.

That is why fans quickly noticed his absence from the U.K. trip.

Smith’s comment suggested Irving had the chance to join his former teammates but did not attend.

Irving has not publicly addressed his absence.

For now, the reunion rolls on without the player who hit the shot that helped finish Cleveland’s historic comeback.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers sent De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings, the “prize” of the trade was getting Keon Ellis in return. Ellis looked poised to be a disruptive defender on the perimeter and someone who could reliably knock down threes enough to keep opposing defenses honest. The return of Ellis was far from what I think the Cavaliers front office and fans were hoping for.

Regular Season Stats

• 8.3 points
• 2.8 rebounds
• 2.4 assists
• 49.1% FG
• 35.5% 3PT FG
• 81.6% FT

Ellis was already falling out of the rotation in Sacramento when the Cavs traded for him. Cleveland was looking to add more backcourt depth in both Ellis and Dennis Schroder. Ellis gave Cleveland another disruptive defender, as Ellis came to Cleveland as being the only player other than Detroit’s Ausar Thompson to average 2.0 steals and 1 block per 36 minutes.

The idea of Ellis was more impactful than actuality. Ellis never felt like he really found his footing in Cleveland. The rotations were constantly in flux so the synergy with lineups was never going to develop. Cleveland’s offense is built with the motion and ball movement that should have allowed Ellis to flourish as a good three-point shooter (40.7% career average).

He registered the lowest three-point percentage of his career this year. In the regular season, the Cavaliers were willing to play through the struggles at times. Disruptive defenders like Ellis have more staying power as their effort stands out. However, the main issue with Ellis came once the postseason came around.

Ellis was in the initial rotation for the Cavaliers against the Toronto Raptors, but made little impact. He was then used sparingly in the second and third rounds before playing 15 minutes in Game 4 against the New York Knicks, when that series was already over. In short, he wasn’t a playoff contributor in any meaningful way.

The defense wasn’t as impactful as it needed to be to justify more minutes, particularly on a defense that was comfortable switching most actions. This forced Ellis to make defensive plays off-ball, and he didn’t provide enough offensively to distinguish himself from being just another guy on the floor.

It was disappointing to see Ellis cosplay as Isaac Okoro in the postseason. Defenses let Ellis fire away from three and a -31 in his limited minutes during the playoffs. A -141 in the regular season is also not great from someone whose calling card is to wreak havoc on offenses.

Ellis, who is now slated to be a free agent this summer, has forced the Cavaliers to make some decisions about whether to buy the dip and see if this was a blip in Ellis’s short career. It might not take much for the Cavs to wave the white flag on the experiment.

The Cavaliers appear to be focused on retaining Dean Wade over Ellis. If this bears true, the swing for Ellis and Schroder will be more remembered for the Schroder of it all. Which, if we are being honest, is a massive flop of a return.

Grade: D+

Washington Wizards star Trae Young has declined his $48.97 million player option for the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season, electing to test free agency for the first time in his career.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Young’s decision to opt out did not come as a surprise to league insiders. Many expect him to ultimately re-sign with the Wizards on a lucrative three-year deal.