The New York Knicks basketball team has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zohran Mamdani, the leading candidate in the New York City mayoral race, over his use of a logo resembling the team’s trademark in campaign materials and social media posts.
Mamdani had posted the logo on his Instagram account with the caption, “This is our year. This is our time. #NewYorkForever.” The post, which tagged Madison Square Garden—the Knicks’ home arena—has since been deleted. During New York’s season opener, the Democratic candidate also aired an advertisement featuring the team’s signature orange and blue logo, but with the word “Knicks” replaced by “Zohran.”
A spokesperson for the Knicks told the New York Post, “The New York Knicks have sent NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a cease-and-desist letter for using the Knicks logo to promote his candidacy. 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.”
Mamdani, who currently serves as a New York State Assembly member representing Queens, is considered the favorite in the upcoming mayoral election. However, team owner James Dolan, a billionaire businessman and executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Sports, has not publicly endorsed any candidate in the race.
While Mamdani has not yet commented on the cease-and-desist order, the controversy has drawn significant media attention, with legal experts suggesting that the Knicks have a strong case due to trademark protection laws governing commercial and political use of intellectual property.
New Yorkers seem torn on the NYC Mayoral race as Cuomo and Mamdani are in a heated political battle, but many took to social media to show their frustrations with the mayoral candidate trying to represent their hometown basketball team.