Top 5 Wildest NBA Championship Parades That Took Over Entire Cities
There’s something different about an NBA parade. It’s not just confetti and speeches — it’s emotion. It’s a city erupting after years of heartbreak. It’s little kids on their dad’s shoulders, screaming for the player they watched every night. It’s players drunk on a bus waving trophies while fans cry in the street. Over the years, a few championship parades have gone beyond just “celebration.” They’ve become pure chaos, beauty, madness — and moments that live forever.
Here are the five wildest NBA championship parades of all time — not just based on attendance, but on raw energy, emotion, and fan takeover. These weren’t just parades… they were full-blown city-wide earthquakes.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) — The City That Waited Forever
This wasn’t just a parade. It was 52 years of pain being released in one afternoon. When LeBron, Kyrie, and the Cavs shocked the world by coming back from 3–1 against the Warriors, it was already one of the greatest Finals stories ever. But the real story happened after.
On June 22, 2016, more than 1.3 million fans flooded the streets of Cleveland. Some say it was closer to 1.9 million — the entire downtown was shoulder-to-shoulder chaos. People were hanging from parking signs, climbing trees, sitting on rooftops. The city shut down. Businesses closed. Schools canceled. Even people who didn’t care about basketball came out just to feel something.
LeBron delivered a raw, emotional speech. Kyrie flashed that now-legendary smile. J.R. Smith was shirtless for the entire day and instantly became a meme. For Cleveland, this was more than a title — it was healing. And no one who was there ever forgot it.
2. Toronto Raptors (2019) — Canada Went Wild
This was the first (and still only) NBA title in Canadian history. And Canada did not hold back. The Raptors’ 2019 championship parade was straight-up insane. Reports say 2 million people lined the streets of Toronto — yes, 2 million.
The parade was supposed to take a few hours. It took almost six. The buses were completely stuck in the sea of people. Every block looked like a music festival. Kawhi barely said a word (of course), but his famous awkward laugh got replayed 1000 times that day. Fans from every province showed up. Some even flew in from other countries.
This parade was about more than basketball — it was national pride. It was “We The North” becoming real. No one in Canada had ever seen anything like it.
3. Golden State Warriors (2015) — Oakland Unleashed
The 2015 title meant the world to the Bay Area. The Warriors hadn’t won in 40 years, and when Steph, Klay, and Draymond finally got it done — the whole city turned into one giant party.
Nearly a million people flooded downtown Oakland for the parade. Fans arrived at 3 a.m. just to get a spot along the route. People climbed lampposts, streetlights, even bus stops. Steph had his adorable daughter Riley with him, who stole the show. Draymond was already talking trash about the next season (classic). And the streets of Oakland? They were roaring.
It wasn’t the biggest parade ever — but it had this electricity in the air. Oakland poured every ounce of love, energy, and built-up emotion into that day. And that’s what made it unforgettable.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (2020) — The Parade That Never Happened (But Still Did)
Okay, technically this one never officially happened. COVID hit. The Lakers won the 2020 title in the bubble. But the fans? They didn’t wait for city approval. They created their own parade.
Thousands of Lakers fans stormed the streets outside Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) right after the Game 6 win. They brought signs, speakers, Kobe jerseys, fireworks, smoke bombs — even a purple-and-gold coffin for the Miami Heat.
It was chaotic. It was unsanctioned. It was very L.A. And it was absolutely wild. In a time when most of the world was stuck inside, Lakers fans created the loudest, wildest unofficial parade ever seen.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (2025) — The Baby-Faced Uprising
This is the most recent one — and it shocked everyone. The Thunder were never supposed to be title favorites this soon. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge, and when OKC won it all in 2025… the city exploded.
The parade was raw and emotional. SGA showed up with a Canadian flag and let fans touch the trophy right off the bus. Jalen Williams ran into the crowd to hug a kid who had been at every home game. The crowd? Completely unhinged — over 750,000 people in a city that rarely sees crowds like that.
But what made this parade different was the intimacy. It wasn’t just loud — it was personal. The players were part of the crowd. The crowd was part of the players. And for a team that grew up in front of our eyes, the whole thing felt like a big family reunion.
Why We Remember These Parades
Parades don’t win championships. But they tell the stories behind them. These moments — the confetti, the chaos, the open-top buses — are the final pages in a season-long fairytale. And sometimes, they’re even more unforgettable than the game itself.
Because when a city celebrates together, when fans get to scream without fear, when a million strangers cry and cheer for the same thing — that’s more than sports. That’s culture. That’s history. That’s magic.
And those five parades? They brought that magic in full.