Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears on WNYC’s the Brian Lehrer Show
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Thank you so much for having me, Brian. It's a pleasure to be back on.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWell, New Year's Eve happens every year, and we've been waiting 53 years for this. And I can tell you I've reached the age where now, sometimes, I do sleep through New Year's Eve, although I think that'll probably end as the mayor. And yet for this, you know, I went to bed at 3:45 in the morning, and I think that that was probably on the earlier side for many New Yorkers, because it has been year after year of believing that it could in fact be the year — year after year of heartbreaks and near-misses — and then to see this team over the course of this Finals run, it has been the fulfillment of all of that hope and all at once, and in many ways a reflection of what this city is at its best. And I think many of us are still — we're still living off of the high of Saturday night.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think it will. I think it will be an outpouring of emotion that so many have kept inside for so many years. You know, there were New Yorkers who ran out into the streets and just started crying after the victory on Saturday night. And there are many of us for whom a Knicks championship was something that we weren't even alive to see. The last time we were even this close, just in the Finals, was in 1999. And it was against the same team, and then they beat us 4-1. This time, we beat them 4- 1. And there's a beautiful full-circle part of it, in that Rick Brunson was a member of that Knicks team [then], and now his son, Jalen Brunson, is the captain of this Knicks team. And with a very different result, I think it will mean the world to New Yorkers, as it already has.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceNo, it's — it's not, although Metta World Peace did play in the league. I think whether we're talking about the Finals or whether we are talking about the World Cup, you see how so much of this game, it is such a critical part of people's lives. And I know that there are some that try and diminish sports as if a distraction, but sports are also a fulfillment of oneself and one's vision for the world around them and what was one of the more beautiful things that I've seen over the course of this Finals run was how it was something people enjoyed together. So many people were looking to be a part of this alongside those that they knew and those who they never met before. When Landry Shamet hits a three, you're not just looking to hug the person next to you whose name you know, you're looking to embrace anyone around you. And I think it comes back to a vision of the city where we don't have to know each other's names — we don't even have to know each other's neighborhoods — we just have to know that we're with other New Yorkers. And that's what's brought this team together. It's the threshold of belonging is just to be a part of the city. And this Knicks team has given us something that I truly haven't seen for my entire life.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I was born in Uganda, in East Africa, and Arsenal was one of the first teams to embrace African talent, and a lot of that was in thanks to its manager, Arsène Wenger. And there was this sense of familiarity even before I knew the team all that well, because it felt as if I was seeing a reflection of my childhood, my world, my dreams in that team without the typical kinds of hurdles that one has to jump to prove oneself as a part of something bigger than themselves. And I think it's true for Arsenal and I think it's also true for the Knicks in that — one thing that means so much to so many across the city is how they can see themselves in this team. I mean, you know, Saturday night was Game Five, Sunday was the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and I had the pleasure of standing next to Jose Alvarado at the Knickerbocker parade later in the day. And this is a man who was raised in New York City, who has brought this city to its feet and done so with the kind of relentlessness, the kind determination, and the kind love for this city that New Yorkers are so proud of. And it has given everyone that extra pep in their step as they walk through their lives to know that they are in fact not alone, both in how they feel about the city and how they feel that tomorrow could be better than today.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I think that the truth of it is that the vast majority of New Yorkers celebrated responsibly, they celebrated appropriately and they celebrated in a way that reflected how long they've been waiting for this. As you said, there were a select few who behaved in a way that was unacceptable. And I've said this over the course of our Finals run. No matter how excited we are, there is no tolerance or acceptance for any kind of violence, whether it's towards someone that is right next to them or towards a police officer — it's not something that we tolerate in the city. And I’m thankful for the fact that the men and women of the NYPD have helped to keep our city safe over the course of this Finals run. And, you know, even when it comes to the MSG and the Knicks Organization working together to have a number of watch parties for Game Five, whether outside of MSG or at Radio City Music Hall or Central Park, because I think, as you've said, something that's been so meaningful to so many is that they can be a part of this with others around them.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI have to get back to my legal team before I answer that question, Brian, but I appreciate it. Real pleasure. Thank you for having me, Brian. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears on WNYC’s the Brian Lehrer Show.