The New York Knicks have reportedly issued a cease and desist order to state Senate candidate Aber Kawas regarding her campaign's unauthorized use of the team's official logo. Kawas, who is supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, allegedly featured the basketball team's branding on promotional materials.
Campaign stickers reportedly displayed the phrase, "I voted for Aber Kawas," incorporating a design that closely resembled the Knicks' logo, with the team's name substituted with "Kawas."
Legal Action and Allegations
According to reports, the Knicks, through their legal representatives, demanded that the campaign "immediately remove all promotional materials incorporating Knicks Intellectual Property, including but not limited to the unauthorized Advertisements, and cease any further use of Knicks Intellectual Property."
Neither the Knicks nor NBA [Properties] have authorized the Campaign to use Knicks Intellectual Property in any way, including the Unauthorized Advertisements, which are likely to mislead the public into believing that the Campaign is affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by, or in some way connected with the Knicks. The Campaign’s activities in this regard constitute, among other things, trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false advertising, false association, and unfair competition.
This statement was attributed to Brian N. Warner, who serves as senior vice president and head of legal for Madison Square Garden Sports.
History of Logo Disputes and Political Tensions
This is not the first instance of a political campaign associated with Mayor Mamdani drawing the ire of the Knicks over logo usage. Last year, Mamdani's own mayoral campaign similarly utilized the team's logo and subsequently received a cease and desist letter. At the time, the Knicks publicly clarified that they were not endorsing any candidate in that election, which Mamdani ultimately won.
Following last year's election, the White House also briefly used the Knicks logo in a social media post that stated, "Trump Is Your President." The team contacted the White House, leading to the removal of the post.
An ongoing rivalry has also developed between Knicks owner James Dolan and Mayor Mamdani. The friction escalated earlier this month concerning the organization's watch parties during the team's playoff run. The two encountered each other at a championship celebration held at City Hall last week, where Mamdani invoked the name of Charles Oakley, a former Knicks legend and known critic of Dolan, during a speech reflecting on the team's history. Dolan, in turn, reportedly delivered a final jab at the mayor and declined to participate in a joint photo opportunity.
Dolan was quoted stating,
I don't need your vote. I don't need to quote to you what happened. If you're real Knick fans you know it already.
Separately, Dolan announced that the team intends to visit the White House to meet with President Donald Trump, who attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals. This visit would mark the first time an NBA team has visited President Trump during his tenure.
About Aber Kawas
Aber Kawas, a socialist and the Democratic nominee for New York's Senate District 12, is the daughter of undocumented immigrants. She recently faced criticism for comments regarding the September 11 attacks, where she reportedly rejected the idea that Muslim Americans should apologize for an event she characterized as the act of "a couple of people."
