New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won’t be in the building when the Knicks raise their 2026 championship banner on opening night.
The Knicks are scheduled to host the Philadelphia 76ers on October 20 at 6:30 PM (ET), but Mamdani said the price tag for a ticket is simply too steep. In an interview with NBC New York, he made his stance clear.
Mayor Mamdani: (crosses his fingers) “Come on, hopefully at cheaper ticket prices.”
Reporter: “Will you be at the opening when they raise the banner?”
Mayor Mamdani: “Brother, I do not have $2000 ready for that ticket.”
Reporter: “What about the nosebleeds?”
Mayor Mamdani: “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Mamdani’s complaint fits a pattern. Since taking office, his relationship with the Knicks has been bumpy, with public criticism of the team’s 2026 playoff ticket prices and a back-and-forth with chairman James Dolan over who was really doing what the people wanted. At one point, Mamdani joked that Trae Young was behind the Knicks’ higher playoff prices, then argued that the surge showed how sports had turned into a luxury commodity.
The tension escalated during the NBA Finals, after President Donald Trump’s historic attendance at the series and Dolan calling Mamdani a “fake” Knicks fan before the two eventually patched things up. Ticket prices were so inflated at one point that two front-row seats for a possible Game 6 reportedly climbed past $1 million.
That history makes Mamdani’s latest comments feel less like a one-off and more like another reminder that he’s still willing to call out the cost of following the team he supports. As a Democratic Socialist, he has also framed the issue as one where wealthy fans get access while others are left out.
The Knicks, for their part, already admitted they mishandled the first round of season ticket pricing. On September 17, the team said it was stopping individual game sales after a pricing mistake and promised a reset.
“We are pausing Knicks individual ticket sales due to a mistake in our pricing. We are rolling back to last year’s prices plus an average increase of 12%. We will restart sales with new prices shortly, and anyone who already purchased individual tickets will be refunded the difference.”
“Our intention was never to overcharge our loyal fans, and we thank everyone for their support of the Knicks and their patience as we get this right,” the statement read.
According to the New York Post, prices for the opener against the 76ers started at $2,219 and were expected to go beyond $4,000 on SeatGeek before the rollback. With the adjustment in place, fans will get another shot at landing seats for the banner night.
For now, though, the mayor who loves the Knicks says he’ll be watching from afar.
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