Overview:
Some New Yorkers celebrating the New York Knicks’ first NBA title in 53 years say their joy is extended by Haiti’s national soccer team, a perennial underdog finally participating in the FIFA World Cup after 52 years.
NEW YORK — Amid a crowd of overzealous Knicks fans in blue and orange Thursday morning, the blue-and-red Haitian flag sailed across the air during the New York Kicks Championship Parade in Lower Manhattan.
Standing in view of the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building across from City Hall, fan Christian Henry explained the meaning behind the colors. One of several blends seen showcasing hometown pride mixed with that of the city’s diverse immigrant groups.
“We got the Knicks colors here,” Henry said, touching the flagpole painted in blue and orange. “And this is our home’s flag. That’s how we do it… Big up Haiti.”
Ali Youry Aimé, hoisting the Haitian flag while sporting a Knicks jersey, added the emblem’s significance for him.
“I’m a mixed fan,” Aimé said. “Haiti is playing tomorrow, so we’re here to celebrate.”
Haiti’s national team is set for a much-anticipated matchup versus Brazil on June 19 at Philadelphia Stadium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Fans of Les Grenadiers hope the team will bounce back from a narrow 1-0 defeat to Scotland. Many Haitians want to believe that the Knicks breaking their long drought is a good omen.
As fans of both tell it, their basketball and Haiti’s soccer teams share similar, agonizing, nail biting experiences, so they are enjoying these rare, major accomplishments. The Knicks won the NBA title on June 13 after spending 53 aching years of not touching the silverware. Meanwhile, Haiti is playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after spending 52 painful years without qualifying for the global tournament.
Aimé, a maintenance worker in Brooklyn, says he has supported both teams through their darkest periods. After moving from Jacmel to Brooklyn in 1998 at age 19, he instantly started supporting the Knicks. For him, celebrating Haiti’s World Cup appearance and the Knicks’ NBA title — simultaneously — is beyond his wildest dreams.
“This is the biggest day in my sports life,” the 46-year-old said. “We’re Haiti fans and New York fans. You see how people are partying, see how everybody is outside. Today is the biggest day.”
Fans want Haiti victory to keep party going
Henry, who moved to Brooklyn from Anse-a-Veau in Haiti’s Nippes Department at age five, has also supported the Knicks for years. After watching his side lift the NBA trophy, he is thirsty for one more victory: Haiti over Brazil.
“We have to win,” Henry, 50, said. “We’re not accepting any other results. We want to win. That’s how we’re going to do it tomorrow night.”
Merrick Forrest, a Jamaican American who lives in Brooklyn, is also delighted to watch Haiti play in the World Cup.
“I’m proud of the original freedom fighters,” Forrest, 59, said. “No other nation fought for their freedom like Haiti did. They’re our leaders in the Caribbean and I’m happy that they’re in the World Cup. I watched them, I love them. They’re my neighbors, they’re my friends in Brooklyn, I’m very proud of them.”
Forrest wore a Patrick Ewing jersey, in honor of a fellow Jamaica native who played for New York from 1985 to 2000. It’s still hard for Forrest to process that the Knicks are the NBA Champions after the team struggled and failed to lift the trophy for 53 years.
Retired Knickerbocker Patrick Ewing smiles during the Knicks Championship Parade on Thursday, June 18, 2026 in Manhattan. Photo by Fredner Cayemitte/The Haitian Times
“I’m surprised,” Forrest, a phone repair technician, said. “I’m still in awe of the win.
“Dude, we were suffering,” he added. “I was at a watch party for the final game and I was jumping up and down like some little kid.”
Franck Mendy, another spectator, traveled from Paris to New York for the parade. He was far from being disappointed.
“The atmosphere is newyorkaise,” Mendy, 46, said in French, meaning ‘newyorkerish.’ “It’s very blue and orange. I’m lucky to be here, I wanted to see the Knicks in front of me, in real life.”
“No other nation fought for their freedom like Haiti did. They’re our leaders in the Caribbean and I’m happy that they’re in the World Cup.”
Mendy has also been following the World Cup and wants Haitian players and fans to “enjoy” every single moment of it. He hopes Haiti will make it to the second round. However, he said, it would be difficult against powerhouses Brazil and Morocco.
Leronn McGowan, another parade attendee sporting a Knicks jersey, is also pleased with Haiti’s World Cup qualification especially since he has numerous Haitian friends.
“Everybody needs their chance, you know, to show what they got,” McGowan, of the Bronx, said. “Some countries get held back by their administration. I’m glad y’all in there. Y’all had to rise from the mud, they tried to hold y’all down.”
McGowan, a 50-year-old Black American, has been a Knicks fan since 1990, so has been through countless heartbreaks.
“It was like a toxic relationship,” McGowan, a bus operator, said. “You had to suck it up.”
Winning now feels like a dream, he said.
“You wake up and pinch yourself and ask if that really happened. That’s why everybody out here is on cloud nine still.”
