Mayor Repeals Kids' Bedtime for NBA Finals

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed a symbolic order on Monday declaring that children across the city could stay up late for the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals run. The June 1 order, staged with schoolchildren at City Hall, said bedtimes were “repealed” for the duration of the series. Mamdani told the children, “Bedtime is repealed! All of you can watch the Finals,” according to ABC7 New York. The move came as the Knicks prepared for their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 and as every game on the schedule was set for an 8:30 p.m. Eastern tipoff. ### What exactly did Mamdani sign? The June 1 document was titled “Repealing Kids’ Bedtimes for Knicks Finals Run,” ESPN reported. The text said “bedtimes should not impede the ability of New York’s Cutest to cheer for the Knicks and watch every second of this historic Championship series,” and it directed that bedtimes in New York City were repealed during the NBA Finals. (abc7ny.com) Mamdani also posted on X that he had “signed an Executive Order temporarily repealing bedtimes in the City of New York so that kids of all ages can watch our team in the NBA Finals.” In the same post, he added: “As Mayor, you’re forced to make many difficult decisions. This was not one of them. Go Knicks.” (espn.com) ### Was this a real legal change or a joke? ABC7 New York and News 12 Brooklyn described the signing as a mayoral order or executive order, but the coverage presented it as a playful, symbolic act tied to the team’s playoff run rather than an enforceable city policy change. Children joined Mamdani at City Hall and marked the document with handprints after he signed it. (msn.com) News 12 reported that Mamdani also discussed citywide public watch-party plans at the event. The coverage did not describe any change to school rules, curfews or city enforcement tied to children’s bedtimes. ### Why did the mayor do this now? The Knicks reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years after finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, Patch reported on May 26. (abc7ny.com) That set up the franchise’s first Finals appearance since 1999 and left the team four wins from its first NBA title since 1973. (brooklyn.news12.com) Each NBA Finals game was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, according to ESPN and ABC7 New York. Mamdani’s order directly referenced that late-night schedule by framing bedtime as an obstacle for younger fans who wanted to watch the series live. ### What did the City Hall event look like? (patch.com) City Hall was the setting on Monday morning when Mamdani signed the order surrounded by children, according to ABC7 New York and News 12 Brooklyn. Some of the children wore Knicks gear, ESPN reported, and the group added handprints to the document after the signing. (espn.com) ABC7 New York reported that Mamdani declared the repeal aloud to the children before they crowded around him to “sign” the order. The event was staged as part of the city’s broader Knicks celebration as officials prepared for watch parties and road-game viewing. ### When do the games start, and when does the series come to New York? (abc7ny.com) Game 1 of Knicks-Spurs is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern in San Antonio, according to ESPN, ABC7 New York and Patch. San Antonio is set to host Games 1 and 2 before the series shifts to New York for Game 3. (abc7ny.com) Patch reported that New York will host NBA Finals games for the first time since 1999. As of May 26, secondary-market tickets for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden had reached close to $4,000, according to the Patch report. (patch.com) (espn.com)