Last year, I started a petition to temporarily replace the face of the Statue of Liberty with Jalen Brunson's. The New York Post, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo Sports all covered it. Governor Hochul was notified. Hundreds of people signed it.

 

And look, I'll admit it. Putting Jalen's face on Lady Liberty was maybe a little ambitious. Maybe the logistics of sculpting a giant mask of our point guard's head and mounting it 305 feet in the air were a touch far-fetched.

 

So I'm back this year with something more realistic. And this time, there's a condition.

 

When the New York Knicks win the 2026 NBA Finals, we drape the Statue of Liberty in a Jalen Brunson jersey.

 

Not if. When.

 

The Knicks just swept the Cleveland Cavaliers to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. They've won 11 straight playoff games. Jalen Brunson won the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference Finals MVP. This team has the best point differential over an 11-game stretch in NBA playoff history. Jeff Van Gundy, who coached the Knicks to the Finals in '99, has said there's never been a Knicks team this dominant.

 

This isn't just a basketball moment. This is a New York moment. The entire city is united behind this team. Fans have taken over arenas in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Cleveland. Watch parties outside Madison Square Garden have turned into full-blown celebrations. The energy in this city hasn't felt like this in decades.

 

When this team finishes the job and brings a championship back to New York for the first time since 1973, the city needs to celebrate in a way that matches the magnitude of what just happened. A giant Brunson #11 jersey draped over the Statue of Liberty would be the ultimate symbol of what this team means to New York. Lady Liberty has always stood for hope, resilience, and the belief that anything is possible. That is exactly what Jalen Brunson and this Knicks team represent to millions of New Yorkers right now.

 

And this time, I'm calling on someone specific to help make it happen.

 

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, this one's for you.

 

Mr. Mayor, you sat in the nosebleeds at MSG for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and paid face value for your ticket like a regular fan. You tweeted "BANG #knickstape" when the Knicks clinched. You called NYC Sanitation to "report a sweep" after we took down Cleveland in four. You told the press that people whisper "Knicks in four" to you at every event. You announced city-wide watch parties for the Finals so every New Yorker can celebrate together.

 

You are one of us. You understand what this means to this city. And you have the power to make this happen.

 

We're not asking to change Lady Liberty's face this time. We're just asking for a jersey. One massive, custom-made Brunson #11 jersey draped across the most iconic statue in the world when the Knicks bring home a championship. Think of it as New York City's biggest rally towel.

 

The whole country is watching New York right now. Let's show them what this city is about. Let's show them that when the Knicks win it all, we celebrate like no other city can. From the nosebleeds at MSG to the crown of Lady Liberty.

 

If you believe Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks deserve this moment, sign this petition and tag Mayor Mamdani. Let's make it happen, New York.

 

Knicks in four. Knicks forever.

 

Jacob Nacht

New York, NY