Street vendors pulled in thousands by hawking knockoff New York Knicks gear when the team’s ticker-tape parade rolled through on June 18. Hats flew off tables, T-shirts changed hands, and newspaper reprints went to fans soaking up the championship moment.
Wan Ali flew in from Los Angeles just to sell Knicks-themed bucket hats at the lower Manhattan celebration. In 45 minutes flat, the 53-year-old moved around 40 hats. Each one went for $100 to $150.
“We did great, passed $10,000 this morning,” Ali told The Post from his outpost. “Better than New Years, because I didn’t freeze and have to pay for a high dollar hotel room.”
D. Spin made the trip from Raleigh, North Carolina. He grabbed a hat even though the price stung. Other fans kept stopping him to say they liked it.
“For $100, I wasn’t sure,” he said, “but I was getting so many compliments on this hat [that] I had to come back and get some more stuff for folks back home.”
One seller offered copies of The Post’s Thursday cover celebrating the championship ceremony. “KINGS OF THE CITY” blazed across the front page. Twenty bucks a pop.
The day proved lucrative for those who capitalized on championship fever. Ali’s take exceeded what he typically banks on New Year’s Eve, when hotel costs eat into profits.
Fans arrived from distant cities, wallets open, ready to drop serious cash on unlicensed team gear. Many snagged extras to haul back for friends and relatives waiting at home.