A subway entrance at 34th Street and 8th Avenue that was transformed during the New York Knicks’ playoff run will stay painted orange and blue through at least next season. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA this week announced the spirited entrance will be preserved through the 2026-2027 season in celebration of the team’s first NBA championship in five decades. Transformed by the MTA earlier this month, the Knicks-themed station, which included turning the lamp globes into basketballs, became a viral sensation and a destination for fans and those attending games at Madison Square Garden.
As The Athletic reported, the MTA’s chief customer officer Shanifah Rieara and deputy officer Eugene Riberio brainstormed with their staff to find ways to honor the Knicks during the playoffs. Finding the right shade of orange for the subway entrance, which is normally painted green, required going to a 24-hour hardware store for the right paint.
“To see it is a destination. When people are coming, taking pictures at the station, taking pictures of themselves, it is just an amazing, amazing thing to witness,” Rieara told The Athletic. “Seeing New Yorkers — hopefully Knick fans — being part of this experience. So, we’re happy to sort of give that gift to our city and, of course, our customers.”
Hochul, joined by filmmaker and Knicks fan Spike Lee, said the painted station became an “unofficial New York City landmark” during the playoffs, greeting fans heading to watch parties and Madison Square Garden.
The governor said she hopes the decorations will “keep the celebrations” going and looks forward to the team defending its championship next season.
The announcement came a day before Thursday’s ticker-tape parade, the first ever held for the Knicks in city history. The parade, set for Lower Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes, could draw more than 1 million spectators, which would make it the largest-attended parade in city history.
“After 53 long years, the Knicks are finally NBA Champions again, and NYC has come together like never before to celebrate this historic achievement for our city,” Hochul said. “As we prepare to immortalize this Knicks team in the Canyon of Heroes, it is fitting that we preserve this iconic subway entrance into next season to keep the celebrations going.”
“The subway and the Knicks are two of New York’s most cherished institutions and now, fans headed to the Garden to see the reigning champions will receive an orange and blue welcome to every game,” she added.
To help fans get to the event, the MTA ran a specially designated “K train” at 7 a.m. Thursday from 168th Street to the World Trade Center.
The train featured a vintage R-32 subway car, which ran during the Knicks’ last championship runs in 1970 and 1973.
“This is about preserving more than just paint,” Janno Lieber, MTA Chair and CEO, said. “The Knicks’ historic championship run triggered an explosion of New York spirit and our iconic orange and blue subway entrance was at the center of the action. Can’t let go of that Mojo!”
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