The streets of New York City are set to be dotted with NBA Finals watch parties for Game 5 on Saturday, June 13, as 130 LinkNYC kiosks tune into the Knicks vs. Spurs game.
The news comes as the whole city is set to transform into essentially a giant watch party as the Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs away in Texas, in a game that could win the Knicks their first championship in over 50 years. There’s a free event outside of Madison Square Garden, the kiosks will stream the game across the city on their 55-inch screens, and a myriad of private watch parties will likely again spill onto the streets.
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Across the city, televisions or projectors have been propped up on porches allowing passersby to watch from the sidewalk. Fans have also huddled around bars and restaurants, peeking at screens indoors.
Earlier in the week, the city streamed Game 4 on dozens of LinkNYC screens, marking the first time live sports were broadcast on kiosks, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office said. More than 2,000 kiosks act as modernized phone booths, providing free WiFi and phone calls across the city.
“This weekend, we’re running it back,” Mamdani said. “More than a hundred kiosks will turn our sidewalks into watch parties and our streets into celebrations. Knicks in Five.”
Coming after the stunning, come-from-behind Game 4 win at home in Madison Square Garden, the Knicks lead 3-1 in the series. The distance from the Game 5 away game in San Antonio won’t mean anything to New York City fans.
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“The Knicks belong to all New Yorkers, whether you’re watching from the Garden or not,” Mamdani said in a statement.
LinkNYC kiosks will show the NBA Finals’ game 5 between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on June 13, 2026. The Knicks lead 3-1 in the series, and New Yorkers will have no shortage of ways to watch their hometown team win a title.
LinkNYC, launched in 2016, replaced the city’s old pay phones. At the time, former Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to convert the old, ubiquitous phone system into a modernized technology in the era of smart phones and internet. What came was free WiFi, tablets to access city maps, USB charging and free domestic calling.
Touted as the world’s fastest free public WiFi, the kiosks have now served over 21 million residents and visitors, according to LinkNYC, which is operated by CityBridge, a joint venture from Intersection Media and Boldyn Networks.
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The kiosks have two 55-inch displays on either side, which provide real-time updates or advertising. (The screens, however, don’t have speakers.)
Fans gather outside a bar to watch the screening of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, near Madison Square Garden in New York City, on June 10, 2026.
When recent temperatures soared to feeling nearly 100 degrees with humidity, for example, LinkNYC kiosks displayed directions to nearby public cooling centers. Temperatures have cooled somewhat, but kiosks will show the Knicks on Saturday evening.
“LinkNYC was built to connect New Yorkers to what matters most,” Nick Colvin, CEO of LinkNYC said in a statement, “and few things have united this city quite like this historic Knicks run.”
Game 5 starts at 8:30 p.m. local time in New York.
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Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at [email protected] or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks watch party planned across NYC kiosks
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