The New York Knicks have issued a cease-and-desist letter to mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani after he aired an advertisement featuring an altered version of their logo.
Mamdani’s campaign broadcast the ad during the Knicks’ season opener on Wednesday night, modifying the team’s logo to replace “Knicks” with “Zohran.” The ad was shared across the campaign’s social media channels with the caption, “This is our year. This is our time.”
In response, the Knicks promptly sent a cease-and-desist letter, emphasizing their lack of endorsement for Mamdani. The team released a statement to several media outlets, clarifying their position.
“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,” the statement noted.
They further asserted, “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.”
The letter, which was obtained by the New York Post, demanded the removal of all team-related intellectual property from Mamdani’s campaign materials.
HAKEEM JEFFRIES ENDORSES ZOHRAN MAMDANI AFTER MONTHS OF PRESSURE
Mamdani appears to have acted swiftly, as by Friday, all related ads had been taken down from his campaign’s social media.
Despite this misstep, Mamdani’s campaign momentum seems unaffected. Recent polls indicate he holds a significant double-digit lead over his competitors, with one credible poll from a New York Times aggregator showing him leading by an impressive 24 points among likely voters.
