Five New Yorkers have each won a Knicks-themed trash bin, similar to one a former JP Morgan executive was fired for stealing during the team's NBA Finals victory parade. The city's Sanitation Department selected the winners from a pool of 125,000 applicants as part of its "No Need to Knick a Bin" contest.
The contest was initiated as a response to viral footage of Angie Baez, a former JP Morgan executive, taking one of the decorated bins from the parade route. Baez was later fired from her position.
"People are getting fired over these!" one winner, Alfonso Bravo, remarked after receiving his prize.
The winners were announced Friday at a celebration held at the Department of Sanitation's (DSNY) Upper West Side garage. DSNY Commissioner Gregory Anderson stated, "May these baskets remind all New Yorkers that keeping our city clean is always in bounds. Trash belongs in a basket or a bin — not on the sidewalk."
Each winner, representing one of the five boroughs, was selected randomly. The primary qualification for winning was the ability to transport the 30-pound bins from the DSNY office. Being a Knicks fan was not a requirement.
Daniel LaVert, originally from Chicago and now residing in Brooklyn, expressed his excitement, comparing the win to receiving a "golden ticket." He noted his interest was more in interior design than sports but appreciated the unique New York memento. Mia Manathan of Manhattan also shared her surprise at winning, considering it a "one in a million chance."
The five winners were Alfonso Bravo of the Bronx, Daniel LaVert of Brooklyn, Mia Manathan of Manhattan, Gabriela Manzanares of Queens, and Scott Simas of Staten Island.