James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks, sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the NYPD over security measures during the 2026 NBA Finals in June. Dolan called Mamdani and the police "the biggest party poopers," accusing the city of turning the area around Madison Square Garden into a "police state" that prevents fans from celebrating the Knicks' success [1, 2].
The dispute centers on a planned outdoor watch party for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 10. The city granted a permit for the event but capped attendance between 500 and 999 ticketed fans, with strict security zones and street closures in place to ensure public safety [1, 2, 3, 4]. Dolan and MSG canceled the watch party, citing the attendance limit as unfair to the tens of thousands of fans who wanted to join the celebration. "These are all really designed around stopping people from celebrating around Madison Square Garden," Dolan said [1, 2, 3, 4].
Mayor Mamdani defended the city’s approach, noting the permit was issued at MSG’s request for fewer than 1,000 fans. "I know this is breaking hearts across our city," he said, confirming Dolan declined the permit and canceled the event [3]. Mamdani emphasized that public safety remained the priority despite the cancelation [1, 2, 3, 4].
Tensions escalated following Game 3 on June 8 when former President Donald Trump attended, prompting heightened Secret Service security and street closures around MSG [1, 2, 3]. After the Knicks lost that game, there were reports of chaotic fan behavior, fights outside the arena, and arrests involving NYPD [5]. Actor Michael Rapaport criticized Mamdani’s handling of the postgame situation on social media and announced his own mayoral run for 2029, calling Mamdani "the greatest bull cr----r in the history of politicians" [5].
Local businesses near MSG reported poor sales and disruptions caused by street closures during the Knicks' playoff run [3]. Meanwhile, the Knicks held a 2-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs heading into Game 4 on June 10, with Game 5 scheduled for June 13 in San Antonio [1, 2]. Pop star Taylor Swift was reported to be attending Game 4 [1, 2].
