The New York Department of Sanitation is giving away five commemorative Knicks trash bins just like the one a former J.P. Morgan Chase employee was filmed emptying and stealing after the team won its first NBA title in 53 years.
“No need to Knick a bin!” city officials wrote in a promotion inviting New Yorkers to enter a drawing for one of those commemorative orange and blue trash receptacles.
The contest for the 28-inch tall baskets that weigh 30 pounds ends at 5 p.m. on July 3. The diameter of each bucket is 21.5 inches, which is roughly 3 inches wider than a basketball hoop.
The bins are the same as the ones New Yorkers see on street corners every day.
DSNY blew the whistle on the woman’s move, dubbing it “a technical foul.”
“Fouling up our sidewalks and stealing public property should always be out of bounds in New York City,” Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson said in a statement announcing the giveaway. “There is no need to lift bins off the street.”
Video of a woman identified by media outlets as Angie Báez, 40, dumping trash onto a city street to abscond with a Knicks-colored trash can went viral in the aftermath of the Knicks’ Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs. City officials said the bin was returned and its alleged thief paid a fine. J.P. Morgan reportedly said the woman is no longer with the company.
The team celebrated its victory with a June 18 ticker-tape parade in lower Manhattan. Team owner James Dolan said his squad will also visit the White House to mark its historic achievement.
Smaller replicas of the city’s Knicks-inspired garbage bins are selling for $168 on onlyny.com.