Funny moment during the Knicks championship parade! Kolek mistaken for a fan by police officer: He responded

On June 19 Beijing time, a funny scene unfolded at the Knicks' championship parade. Taylor Kolek, despite being a favorite among loyal New York fans, demonstrated through this incident that he has not become a household name.

While Kolek was interacting with fans on the streets of Manhattan to celebrate the team's championship, he was briefly stopped by New York police, who mistakenly thought he was a regular fan who had jumped over the barrier and rushed onto the street.

After the incident, Kolek posted on social media with a very relaxed and humorous attitude. Someone wrote: "Security almost tackled Taylor Kolek to the ground, so hilarious." Kolek reposted, saying, "I really am a player on the team, bro (crying laughing emoji)."

If someone only started supporting the Knicks during the playoffs, it's understandable that they wouldn't recognize Kolek. He did not play at all in the Finals series, and his last appearance was in the fourth quarter of Game 4 against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The 25-year-old guard played a total of just 53 minutes in the postseason. Fortunately, many of the Knicks' games were blowouts, which allowed him to get more playing time than he normally would have.

He played 12 minutes in the series-clinching game against the Hawks and 13 minutes in Game 4 against the 76ers, so fans actually had several opportunities to see him on the court.

The only catch is that to watch him play, you'd have to wait until the game's outcome was decided, with a margin of at least 30 points in garbage time.

In the 2024 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Taylor Kolek with the 34th overall pick, and the Knicks acquired him via a draft-night trade. He has now spent two NBA seasons with New York.

Before being mistaken by New York police at the championship parade, Kolek's most notable moment occurred in January: he played two games in a single day—first in a G League contest in the morning, then on an NBA court in the evening.