Jalen Brunson didn’t just lead the New York Knicks to victory in the NBA Finals, he also led the charge for Knicks fans to stop feuding with Elmo after weeks of beef.
At the Knicks' official ticker-tape celebration on Thursday (June 18), Brunson crossed over the (figurative) dotted line around Sesame Street and kissed an Elmo plush toy that held a sign that read: "Forgive me PLEASE."
Elmo had to have been relieved because prior to that, Knicks supporters were holding a serious grudge against the red puppet.
A few weeks back, before Game 1 of the NBA finals, Elmo went viral when his official X account posted: "Elmo hopes both teams have fun!"
The post, which garnered a lot of engagement, had the internet in uproar, with many Knicks supporters calling Elmo a traitor for not picking the team's side. Comedian Desus Nice, for instance, joined the discussion by telling Elmo: "This ain't a softball team...pick a side. blood in, blood out."
The reason that Knicks fans felt so upset at Elmo was that Sesame Street has been synonymous with New York City for decades.
After the post, Elmo attempted to walk back his comment by writing: "KNICKS that last message! Elmo didn't mean to SPUR you on!" Although, that didn’t work.
After the Knicks went on to win the series against the San Antonio Spurs 4-1, fans still weren’t accepting of Elmo. One viral video depicted a fan parading a mock Elmo head on a pike with a sign reading: "TRAITOR."
Brunson's reconciliation and New York City's backlash may have inspired Elmo to take a different approach when picking a team to root for in the World Cup. On X, the Elmo account wrote: "Elmo just wants to set the record straight... ❤️❤️ GO TEAM USA! ⚽"
The Elmo bit was a footnote in an otherwise historic afternoon for New York City. Around two million fans lined Broadway from Bowling Green to City Hall as the parade procession moved north beginning at 10 a.m., the NYPD deploying 10,000 officers in the department's largest single-event mobilization on record.
