STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 For lifelong Knicks fan Scott Simas, winning a commemorative New York Knicks-themed city Department of Sanitation litter basket was almost as unexpected as the team\u2019s championship run.<\/p>\n
The Dongan Hills resident was one of just five New Yorkers selected from more than 125,000 entries in a citywide raffle held by DSNY.<\/p>\n
Now he is the proud owner of a full-size blue-and-orange litter basket created to celebrate the Knicks\u2019 title season while encouraging New Yorkers to keep city streets clean.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought we\u2019d actually win,\u201d Simas said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
His wife, Gina, entered the drawing on his behalf, figuring it would be fun to take a chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought it would be cool for me to have a Knicks-themed basket around,\u201d Simas said.<\/p>\n
The couple traveled to DSNY headquarters on Manhattan\u2019s West Side to pick up the roughly 30-pound basket.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was pretty neat,\u201d Simas recalled. \u201cI was more amazed by the people who had to take public transportation home carrying a 31-pound garbage pail.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"(Courtesy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2A3WBOYVTZGBVLBTRBTYPTDXXM.PNG\")
For lifelong Knicks fan Scott Simas, winning a commemorative New York Knicks-themed Department of Sanitation litter basket was almost as unexpected as the team\u2019s championship run.
\nThe Dongan Hills resident was one of just five New Yorkers selected from more than 125,000 entries in a citywide raffle held by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY). (Courtesy of Scott Simas)(Courtesy of Scott Simas)<\/p>\n
For Simas, the prize represents decades of Knicks memories.<\/p>\n
A lifelong Staten Islander, he became a fan as a child when his father brought him and his brother to games at Madison Square Garden during the late 1970s and early 1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father used to get tickets through work,\u201d Simas said. \u201cWe\u2019d go to the Garden together. As a little kid, seeing those players up close was incredible. They looked like giants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although those Knicks teams never captured a championship, Simas remained a loyal fan through the years.<\/p>\n
This spring\u2019s playoff run even became a distraction during his Wednesday night bowling league.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d forget about bowling because everyone was turned around watching the TVs,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything stopped when the Knicks were playing. It was a New York thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that the basket is home on Staten Island, Simas is still deciding how best to display it.<\/p>\n
His original idea was to place it outside during backyard parties, but after seeing it in person, he changed his mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s too nice,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to ruin it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"(Courtesy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NCQQCXTJU5HN3BFKGGIMDOYAIQ.PNG\")
For lifelong Knicks fan Scott Simas, winning a commemorative New York Knicks-themed Department of Sanitation litter basket was almost as unexpected as the team\u2019s championship run.
\nThe Dongan Hills resident was one of just five New Yorkers selected from more than 125,000 entries in a citywide raffle held by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY). (Courtesy of Scott Simas)(Courtesy of Scott Simas)<\/p>\n
Instead, he\u2019s considering transforming it into a table by placing a custom-cut glass top over the opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely going to be a conversation piece,\u201d Simas said. \u201cRight now it\u2019s in storage while I figure out exactly how I want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The retired letter carrier spent 33 years with the U.S. Postal Service before retiring last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand the tough job Sanitation workers have working in every type of weather,\u201d he said. \u201cI always try to get out there and give them a bottle of water. I understand what you guys go through with the heat and cold, it\u2019s nothing new to me. I do appreciate it.\u201d <\/p>\n
DSNY Commissioner Gregory Anderson said the raffle was designed to celebrate the Knicks\u2019 championship while reminding New Yorkers to dispose of trash properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe celebration of our championship team continues,\u201d Anderson said in a statement. \u201cWe saw during last month\u2019s ticker tape parade some strong enthusiasm for these commemorative baskets. <\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we remind New Yorkers that you don\u2019t have to make a mess on our sidewalks or steal public property to own a piece of history.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we remind all New Yorkers that littering is an offensive foul, and putting trash in a litter basket is a slam dunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commemorative baskets are the same size as those found on city streets, standing about 28 inches tall, measuring 21.5 inches across at the top and weighing approximately 30 pounds.<\/p>\n
The other winners were Alfonso Bravo of Kingsbridge Heights in the Bronx; Daniel LeVert of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; Mia Manantan of East Harlem; and Gabriela Manzanares of Long Island City.<\/p>\n