Zohran Mamdani speaks to the press at the 2025 NYC Pride March, Jun 29, 2025, NYC, NY, USA. Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Knicks Take Legal Action Against NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jayesh Pagar | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 11:52 AM ET

The New York Knicks are headlines off the court after issuing formal legal warnings to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign borrowed the team's famous branding for campaign purposes. The timing couldn't be more interesting as the squad prepares for an important home game tonight.

The Knicks organization has sent formal legal documentation to Mamdani, a Democratic socialist assemblyman, demanding he stop using their brand identity in his political commercials.

The political advertisement in question features a modified version of the franchise's signature orange and blue emblem, with Mamdani's first name taking the place of the team name.

‼️BREAKING: The New York Knicks have reportedly sent a cease-and-desist order to NYC Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, after he used a campaign ad that copied the team’s logo and branding without permission. pic.twitter.com/NhfI2Cpyrr
— Rick (@TiopiRanks) October 24, 2025

The campaign spot made its television debut during Wednesday night's season opener at Madison Square Garden. Mamdani later promoted the same advertisement across his various social media accounts, adding the message "This is our year. This is our time," as per the NY Post.

What Does the Knicks Organization Want?

According to documentation reviewed by media outlets, the franchise argues that Mamdani's marketing materials could confuse voters into thinking there's an official relationship between the campaign and the basketball organization. The team is requesting immediate removal of all copyrighted materials from any promotional content.

A franchise representative provided an official statement.

"The NY Knicks have sent NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a cease-and-desist letter for using the NY Knicks logo to promote his candidacy," the statement read.

"The Knicks want to make it clear that we do not endorse Mr. Mamdani for Mayor, and we object to his use of our copyrighted logo. We will pursue all legal remedies to enforce our rights," it continued.

Can the Knicks Build Momentum Tonight?

While dealing with this legal situation, the basketball team has an important matchup scheduled for tonight against their Atlantic Division rivals, the Boston Celtics, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.

Coming off their opening night success against Cleveland where they secured a 119-111 victory, the squad enters tonight's contest with momentum. Bench contributor Miles McBride provided a significant spark with 15 points, while star floor general Jalen Brunson contributed 23 in the winning effort.

Boston arrives in New York looking to bounce back after a narrow 117-116 defeat to Philadelphia in their season debut. This marks the first regular-season meeting between these longtime rivals this campaign.

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