New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani found a hilarious way to celebrate the Knicks’ championship run while taking another shot at longtime Knicks villain Trae Young. After the Knicks defeated Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, Mamdani was asked whether Wembanyama had now replaced Young as the biggest villain in New York basketball.
His answer was perfect.
“I’m not sure who the other guy is that you’re speaking of. But Victor Wembanyama is the most recent villain that we have, yes, vanquished.”
NYC Mayor Mamdani on if Victor Wembanyama is now a bigger villain than Trae Young
“I’m not sure who that other guy is you’re speaking of”
(h/t @KnicksBeast) pic.twitter.com/alZHfg4sew
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) June 17, 2026
That is exactly the type of line Knicks fans will love.
For years, Trae Young has lived rent-free inside Madison Square Garden. He became public enemy No. 1 in New York during the 2021 playoffs, when he led the Atlanta Hawks past the Knicks in five games and turned the series into his personal Broadway show.
There was the Game 1 floater with 0.9 seconds left. There was the famous shush celebration. Then came Game 5, when Young drilled a deep dagger at Madison Square Garden and took a theatrical bow at center court.
That moment locked him in as a permanent Knicks villain. Even though Young no longer plays for the Hawks, New York has never really let the rivalry go. Earlier during the playoffs, Mamdani jokingly blamed Young for expensive Knicks ticket prices, saying it was “always important to blame Trae Young.”
Young saw the clip and responded on X by warning New York not to forget what happened the last time a mayor had his name in his mouth during the playoffs.
Fair enough, as Young has earned the right to talk. In his career against the Knicks, he has averaged 24.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 3.0 rebounds across 25 games. In the playoffs, he was even better, averaging 29.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in five games during that 2021 series.
He tortured the Knicks before. But this time, all he could do was watch.
The Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years. Jalen Brunson has become a Finals MVP. Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Mike Brown helped bring a title back to New York.
And Wembanyama became the latest superstar to fall in front of them.
That is what makes Mamdani’s comment so funny. He did not even need to say Young’s name directly. The joke was in pretending not to remember him, as if the Knicks had finally moved on from old nightmares after climbing to the top of the basketball world.
Of course, Knicks fans know better. They have not forgotten Trae Young. They probably never will.
But after watching their team erase double-digit deficits throughout the Finals, beat the Spurs in five games, and end one of the longest title droughts in American sports, Knicks fans can finally laugh at the whole thing.
Young had his moment in the Garden. Now New York has a championship parade. And for at least this summer, Knicks fans can enjoy saying what Mamdani said without hesitation. The newest villain has been vanquished.
