NY Knicks issue cease-and-desist letter to Mamdani over logo use, clarify they don’t endorse him

WASHINGTON, DC: The New York Knicks hit mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani with a cease-and-desist after he used a modified version of their iconic logo in a campaign ad. 

The team emphasized that it does not endorse the Democratic socialist candidate. Mamdani had replaced the word “Knicks” with “Zohran” in the logo and shared it across social media during the team’s season opener, before pulling the ad on Friday, October 24.

Knicks issue cease-and-desist to Mamdani for using their logo to promote candidacy

According to a copy of the letter obtained by The New York Post, the Knicks demanded that Zohran Mamdani’s team remove all references to the franchise’s intellectual property from campaign materials.

“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,” a team spokesperson told The Post. “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."

Knicks owner James Dolan has stayed quiet on the mayoral race but remains active in city politics. The Madison Square Garden CEO recently revealed that he is quietly supporting independent candidate Diana Florence in her bid for Manhattan district attorney, part of his effort to unseat Democratic prosecutor Alvin Bragg.

The controversy erupted less than two weeks before New Yorkers head to the polls on November 4. Democratic candidate Mamdani, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa will face off in the mayoral race.

Polls show Mamdani as the overwhelming favorite to become New York City’s next mayor. On Thursday, reports surfaced that Trump privately told allies he believes Mamdani is virtually unbeatable given his commanding lead.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump expressed tepid support for Cuomo, saying, “It’s really a question of whether I’d rather have a Democrat or a communist — and I’d rather have a Democrat than a communist.” He went on to note that if Sliwa were to drop out, “maybe Cuomo would have a little bit of a chance, but not much.”

The 79-year-old commander-in-chief, a native New Yorker whose Trump Organization remains headquartered in Manhattan, has long maintained ties to the city’s political scene.

Mamdani pulls ad after Knicks slap him with cease-and-desist

During the New York Knicks’ season opener on Wednesday night, Zohran Mamdani aired a campaign ad that featured the team’s iconic orange-and-blue logo, but with the word “Knicks” swapped out for “Zohran.”

The ad also appeared on Mamdani’s campaign social media pages with the caption, “This is our year. This is our time.”

Mamdani’s controversial campaign ad opens with footage of an intense, amateur basketball game. A deep, movie trailer-style voice narrates: “New York, this is our year. We’ve struggled—had dreams dashed and hearts broken. But things can be different. Hope is back.”

The scene cuts to a slow-motion shot of a basketball soaring through a cityscape before swishing cleanly through the hoop as an announcer shouts, “He shoots… he scores! Our time has come.”

The ad ends with a logo inspired by the New York Knicks emblem, but instead of reading "New York Knicks," it says "New York Zohran."

By Friday, Mamdani had pulled the ad after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the Knicks. The team warned that the campaign’s use of the altered logo was “likely to mislead the public into believing that the Campaign is affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by, or in some way connected with the Knicks.”