New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday that he had signed a tongue-in-cheek executive order temporarily “repealing bedtimes” so that children across the city can stay up and watch the New York Knicks compete in the NBA Finals.

Mamdani revealed the move in a post on X, presenting it as a lighthearted celebration of the Knicks’ long-awaited return to the league’s championship series.

“Today, I 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,” Mamdani wrote on the social platform X.

The mayor joked that while many decisions at City Hall involve difficult choices, this one was easy.

“As Mayor, you’re forced to make many difficult decisions,” he added. “This was not one of them. Go Knicks.”

The Knicks have reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. In that appearance, New York fell to the San Antonio Spurs in five games, beginning a dynasty that eventually produced five championships for the Texas franchise over a 15-year period.

This year, the matchup carries a sense of déjà vu, as the Knicks will once again face the Spurs with the NBA championship at stake. New York is seeking its first league title since 1973, when it defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to capture its second championship in four seasons.

Mamdani, who attended the Knicks’ Game 2 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, also posted a video showing him signing the executive order while surrounded by a group of children.

Before putting pen to paper, the mayor playfully asked the youngsters gathered around him, “Who here was alive in 1999?”

According to a photograph of the order shared by Mamdani, the directive takes effect immediately and will remain in place until the Knicks’ playoff run comes to an end.

The order takes effect “immediately” and “shall not expire until the Knicks complete — and hopefully win — this historic Championship run,” according to a photo of the directive that Mamdani shared.

Adding to the playful nature of the event, seven children placed handprints on the first page of the document.

Young Knicks fans may indeed need extra time before bed if they hope to watch the entire series, as every game in the best-of-seven Finals is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

San Antonio, which finished the regular season with nine more victories than New York, will host the opening two games of the series on Wednesday and Friday.

The Finals will then shift to Madison Square Garden, where Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for June 8 and June 10. It will mark the first NBA Finals games played at the Garden since 1999.

President Trump, a native New Yorker, said last week that Knicks owner James Dolan had invited him to attend one of the Finals games.

Should the series require additional games, San Antonio would host Game 5 on June 13. If necessary, the Knicks would then host Game 6 on June 16 before a potential winner-take-all Game 7 in Texas.

{Matzav.com}