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New York Knicks fans clashed with police outside Bryant Park in Manhattan on Monday night after an NBA Finals Game 3 watch party spilled over into chaotic scenes, with bottles thrown, fights breaking out and several people taken into custody.
The official fan zone had been set up for the Knicks’ Finals game against the San Antonio Spurs, but the crowd quickly grew beyond the controlled watch party area.
About 5,000 free tickets had been distributed for the event, while many supporters who could not get inside stayed on nearby streets.
The gathering was organized as a public watch party, a fan event where supporters watch a live game together on large screens rather than inside the arena. It came during the Knicks’ NBA Finals run, with Game 3 drawing thousands of fans into central Manhattan.
According to the report, disorder broke out outside the official event before the final buzzer. Videos shared online showed groups of fans gathering around fights, with punches thrown as others cheered from the street.
Some fans climbed onto parked vehicles, while others got onto police cars.
Troublemakers also dragged potted plants into the road, tried to pull down a street sign and snapped off large tree branches.
The New York Police Department, known as the NYPD, sent in officers in riot gear to push back the crowd and restore order. Police also used pepper spray after some members of the crowd became aggressive.
At least one fan reportedly threw a bottle at an officer, while another clip showed a man swinging a large tree branch as people surged around him.
The disorder also appeared to target some San Antonio Spurs supporters. Chants of “We want Wemby!” were heard in the streets, referring to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, while one Spurs fan was reportedly chased across a road by a crowd. Another fan set fire to a Spurs T-shirt.
Police confirmed that one person was arrested for assaulting an officer, while at least six others were taken into custody for disorderly conduct.
A long line of officers was later deployed around the area as police worked to bring the crowd under control. Images from the scene showed officers detaining at least one person and moving fans back from the streets near Bryant Park.
The Bryant Park watch party had been announced only hours before tip-off. A previously planned watch party outside Madison Square Garden had been scrapped after President Donald Trump visited the arena.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had promoted the Bryant Park event as a way for fans across the city to come together during the Knicks’ Finals run.
“These watch parties have become a celebration of New York City itself,” he said, adding that fans from every borough and neighborhood had come together to support the Knicks.
He also said Bryant Park had been added as another watch party location so more fans could take part, alongside Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl.
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