Knicks fanatics hire $125 line sitters before…
There’s a skinny line between tremendous fandom and flagrant infatuation.
New York Knicks nuts, however, know no bounds.
Robert Samuel, founder of Same Ole Line Dudes, a place-holding concierge, completely tells The Post that diehards of the 2026 NBA Championship winners are hiring his crew of skilled line sitters — at $25 an hour — to spend the evening on the streets of Lower Manhattan, securing their spot in line for the ticker-tape Knicks parade Thursday.
“My business hasn’t seen this much excitement over a sports event since the New York Rangers were in the Stanley Cup [in 2014],” said Samuel, 50, whose cellphone’s been ringing non-stop since the Big Apple ballers thrashed the San Antonio Spurs Sunday, incomes the world title for the first time in 53 years.
It’s been a busy few days for Robert Samuel, founder of Same Ole Line Dudes, as followers scramble to secure line sitters for the Knicks’ victory parade. Robert Miller for NY Post
“This is nothing like the Thanksgiving Day parade or New Year’s Eve in Times Square, which are mostly attended by tourists,” said Samuel of the thrill, without revealing how many shoppers have employed Dudes. “These are New Yorkers wanting to come out, celebrate New York’s team and soak up every bit of the joy.”
For prime placements at the unprecedented parade, slated to start at 10 a.m., determined Knicks devotees — some who’ve already spent over $20,000 on sport tickets this season — are paying freelancers on Airtasker and TaskRabbit upwards of $750 to wait in line before access factors to the fête open up at 6 a.m.
Fanatics turning to Samuel for help, he says, are getting the same service at a fraction of the fee.
Samuel checks the parade route on his cellphone. Millions are anticipated to converge on decrease Manhattan for the celebration. Robert Miller for NY Post
A Department of Transportation employee installs signage for Champions Way in preparation for Thursday’s huge parade. Robert Miller for NY Post
“I’m not charging a premium for the parade because it’s not actually a holiday, even though it feels like one,” explained the top honcho, who particularly will increase his asking price to $37.50 per hour for occasions tied to St. Patrick’s Day, Turkey Day and Christmas.
He didn’t even tack on surcharges when vacationers tapped him and his workers to wait in hours-long TSA strains at local airports during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown this spring.
Samuel’s clientele, including a sports activities zealot who’s requested a line sitter at midnight to start holding his spot for the parade, are shelling out roughly $125 in exchange for the tall order.
But, quite than sleeping in until the hoopla commences mid-morning, Samuel says patrons must relieve his workers just before 6 a.m., taking charge of their spot along the parade route — beginning close to Battery Park and transferring up Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes to City Hall, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani will current the Knicks with Keys to the City.
Massive security measures shall be taken to guarantee the security of all attendees, including more than 10,000 New York Police Department officers, heavy weapons groups and explosive detection K9 models.
“For other parades and events, we’ve allowed customers to reserve us an hour before start time,” said Samuel. “But because there’s so much excitement from locals planning to attend, it’d be too hard for a client to first show up and take their spot at 10 a.m.”
“These are New Yorkers wanting to come out, celebrate New York’s team and soak up every bit of the joy,” Samuel said of the keenness he’s witnessed for the pending parade. Robert Miller for NY Post
Samuel has a squad of sitters to help with line placement. Robert Miller for NY Post
That means shoppers could have to “wait the last four hours themselves,” added the entrepreneur, while confessing, “Some people aren’t really feeling that.”
One uncompromising shopper, a voluptuary luxuriating at the Four Seasons, needed Samuel and his crew to save her a spot proper outdoors the five-star lodge’s doorstep, permitting her to roll out of mattress and into place as the athletes rolled down the road.
“But when I told her she had to come at 6 a.m., she was, like, ‘No!’”
Still, the line-sitting liege has obtained a deluge of “yeses” from Knicks disciples who don’t thoughts getting up and out the door for the benefit of skipping the line.
Australian vacationers Lucas and Kate show the Knicks championship T-shirts they plan to put on while attending the parade. Robert Miller for NY Post
“This isn’t just a big win for the Knicks as a team, it’s a win for New York,” said Samuel, who’s also not too long ago waited in prolonged strains at Madison Square Garden and Nike pop-up retailers on behalf of followers searching for hard-to-get merchandise, such as the Kobe 6 Protro Jalen Brunson sneakers for $190.
“There’s electricity in the air, and everyone wants to feel it,” added the professional. “And we’re happy to help make that happen.”
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