The New York Knicks issued a cease-and-desist letter to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for using the NBA team’s logo in a campaign advertisement, expressing strictly that the Knicks organization is not endorsing Mamdani in the race.
Mamdani’s latest campaign ad is basketball-themed, and aired first after the final debate of the mayoral race on Wednesday during the Knicks season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was removed from the internet Friday by the campaign.
According to the New York Post, “Mamdani posted the logo on Instagram with the caption, ‘This is our year. This is our time. #NewYorkForever.’ The location for the post was Madison Square Garden. It has since been deleted.”
“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 spokesperson for the Knicks told the New York 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 hasn’t made a personal endorsement publicly for the mayoral race. However, the Post reports that Dolan “revealed recently he was secretly backing independent candidate Diana Florence’s bid for Manhattan district attorney,” to replace incumbent DA Alvin Bragg.
According to the New York Times, Mamdani leads candidates Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa by double digits in most polls. Early voting for the office begins this weekend ahead of the November 4 election.
