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Mariska Hargitay and Son Join Jalen Brunson on Knicks Championship Float With Punny Shirts

Their parade appearance highlighted celebrity fandom driving a pun-based naming-shirt trend through the Knicks’ title celebration.

Overview

  • The Knicks’ championship parade in downtown Manhattan on Thursday featured Mariska Hargitay riding on Jalen Brunson’s float with her 19-year-old son August.
  • August wore a custom orange-and-blue shirt reading a play on the family name that followed the Taylor Swift–style naming-shirt trend seen during the Finals.
  • Hargitay wore a Knicks-themed shirt referencing her Broadway show and Brunson’s No. 11 and threw a T-shirt into the crowd as videos circulated on social media.
  • New York clinched the 2026 NBA title in five games over the San Antonio Spurs, ending the franchise’s 53-year championship drought, and the parade celebrated that victory.
  • The visible celebrity turnout and viral pun shirts deepened cross-promotion between stars and players, boosted merchandise visibility, and kept social media attention on the Knicks beyond the court.