NYPD Thought Tyler Kolek Was A Fan At Knicks Parade

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Jan 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center.

Knicks guard Tyler Kolek may not have played a huge role in the team’s title run, but he still earned the right to celebrate with the squad when they took to the streets of New York City for the team’s victory parade. However, he ran into a slight issue courtesy of some cops who assumed he was a random fan who’d made their way over the barricades.

On Thursday, millions of people flocked to the Canyon of Heroes in Lower Manhattan for the parade held to celebrate the Knicks bringing an NBA title back to New York City for the first time in 53 years.

It was slated to get underway at 10 A.M., but the pens where spectators were allowed to assemble hit maximum capacity hours before it began thanks to the many, many fans who got up bright and early in order to get to watch it unfold in person.

The NYPD also deployed a historic legion of more than 10,000 officers tasked with keeping order during the celebration, and at least a couple of them are not diehard Knicks fans based on how they reacted after encountering a member of the team in the street.

Tyler Kolek was briefly stopped by NYPD officers who thought he was a fan during the Knicks parade

The 2025-26 NBA season marked Tyler Kolek’s second season in the league and with the Knicks. The point guard, who started his college career at George Mason before capping it off at Marquette, appeared in 41 games as a rookie before seeing that number rise to 62 during his sophomore campaign, and he averaged 11.7 minutes and 4.4 points per game in the regular season.

He was not much of a factor during the title run, and he only appeared in eight postseason contests (none of which came during the Finals) while averaging 6.6 minutes and 3.5 points.

However, Kolek still earned the right to call himself an NBA champion, and he was with the team when the parade kicked off on Thursday morning.

He got the chance to get up close and personal with some fans who’d lined up on Broadway around a block from City Hall toward the end of the route, but things took a turn when he was accosted by a couple of members of the NYPD, who assumed he was a fan until he (and a man who appeared to be his personal security guard) informed them plays for the Knicks.