The New York Knicks’ championship parade was supposed to be a clean celebration of a 53-year wait, but Dave Portnoy believes one mistake left a stain on the day.
The Knicks finally celebrated their first NBA title since 1973 with a massive parade through Lower Manhattan, ending one of the longest waits in New York sports.
Yet the City Hall display created anger when a banner appeared to connect Dillon Jones with Patrick Ewing’s retired No. 33. Portnoy did not try to soften his reaction.
Dave Portnoy blasts New York Knicks parade over Patrick Ewing error
Portnoy reacted to the parade mistake in an Instagram reel, making clear how badly he believed the moment reflected on the celebration.
“I’m disgusted for all Knicks fans that the lasting memory of the Knicks title run will be the utter disrespect shown to Patrick Ewing,” Portnoy said.
He added, “Whoever organized this parade has rocks for brains or no brains. And it’s a disgrace, and just one of the worst parades in the history of sports.”
The issue centered on a jersey-style banner for Jones outside City Hall. It showed the name Jones with No. 33, the number forever tied to Ewing and retired by the Knicks in 2003.
That made the mistake harder for fans to ignore. Jones actually wore No. 1 for the Knicks, played only a small role during the season, and logged no playoff minutes, while Ewing remains one of the defining figures in franchise history.
Patrick Ewing’s No. 33 mistake overshadowed the NY Knicks celebration
Portnoy returned to the Ewing point because the mistake was not just a wrong number on a banner. It involved one of the most protected symbols in Knicks history.
“The disrespect for maybe the second-greatest Knick … to hang a retired number for Jones to take a white glove and slap Patrick Ewing across the face,” Portnoy concluded.
Ewing’s No. 33 hangs in the Madison Square Garden rafters for a reason. He was the face of the Knicks for the 1980s and 1990s, an 11-time All-Star with New York and the player most associated with the franchise’s last sustained era of contention before this title team.
The parade was meant to honor the current champions while reconnecting generations of Knicks fans. Instead, the No. 33 mix-up created an unnecessary flashpoint on a day when Ewing’s legacy should have been treated with care.
Portnoy is not a Knicks fan, but his frustration matched the reaction from many who understood why the number mattered. For a franchise that waited more than half a century to celebrate again, getting the details right was supposed to be the easy part.
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