New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani quietly attended the Knicks’ Game 2 win over the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night — paying face value for tickets near a section that boasted $700 seats.
Mamdani, who did not list his attendance on his public schedule, posted a smiling photo alongside Public Advocate Jumaane Williams inside the Garden with the caption “Knicks forever” — only after the team’s astonishing 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
While the game was ongoing, a fan who paid roughly $700 for their ticket snapped a pic of Hizzoner sitting nearby, NY1 journalist Bernadette Hogan posted on X.
The socialist mayor paid for his ticket at “face value,” a City Hall spokesperson told Hogan. City Hall did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Outside the arena, many fans seemed far more interested in Knicks player Jalen Brunson than Mamdani — or his supposed “Curse of the Mambino,” which was blamed for the Mets’ brutal losing streak.
Before the Knicks’ wild Tuesday night comeback win, Voodoo King Michael Washington performed a spiritual cleanse to quell fans’ fears about the socialist’s sorcery.
But some young spectators didn’t have a clue who Mamdani is.
Kevin Taylor, 18, watched the game with his friends Kevin Burke, 19, and Kristian Charles, 17, in the outdoor viewing area at MSG.
“I feel great. Knicks are flowing, you know, they’re doing great,” Taylor told The Post. “If they make it to the finals, we’re gonna need a bigger TV though.”
“Mamdani? Who’s that?” Taylor said when asked about the mayor. “That’s the mayor!” Charles chimed in.
“Jalen Brunson is the mayor of New York right now,” Taylor responded.
Jailine Polanco, a 29-year-old esthetician and Mets fan, had a stronger reaction after learning Mamdani was in the arena.
“I didn’t know about the curse. But now it all makes sense. .. He needs to stay away from the Knicks, because they’ve been doing very good… Oh, he is here? Pack him up. I pack him up. Now,” Polanco said.
“He needs to worry about his city, not about Knicks basketball,” added her friend, Kristian Diaz.
