The New York Knicks have repeatedly drawn a firm line between politics and the franchise itself. Over the past year, that approach has put everyone from the White House to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the receiving end of the organization’s trademark enforcement.

That list has now grown. Days after winning the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th State Senate District, Aber Kawas received a cease-and-desist letter from the Knicks over campaign materials that closely resembled the team’s branding, according to the New York Post. It includes using “I Voted for Aber Kawas” stickers modeled after the team’s iconic logo.

Bryan N. Warner, Senior Vice President and Head of Legal for Madison Square Garden Sports, sent the letter Friday night demanding 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.”

Warner also warned that neither the Knicks nor NBA Properties had authorized the campaign’s use of the branding and said the advertisements were “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.” He added that the campaign’s actions constituted “trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false advertising, false association, and unfair competition.”

The Kawas dispute is the latest example of the Knicks publicly protecting their intellectual property from political use.

Kawas’ campaign closely mirrors a strategy that Zohran Mamdani used during his successful 2025 mayoral campaign. An advertisement aired during the Knicks’ season opener kept the franchise’s orange-and-blue branding but replaced “Knicks” with “Zohran.” The team issued a cease-and-desist letter requesting its removal in its entirety.

“The NY Knicks have sent NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a cease-and-desist letter for using the NY Knicks logo to promote his candidacy,” a team spokesperson told The Post. “The Knicks want to make it clear that we do not endorse Mr. Mamdani for Mayor, and we object to his use of our copyrighted logo. We will pursue all legal remedies to enforce our rights.”

Mamdani eventually pulled down the ad.

Knicks have enforced the same policy across political campaigns

The franchise took a similar approach weeks later when the White House shared a social media graphic using the Knicks’ orange-and-blue branding with the words “Trump Is Your President.” Soon, the White House removed the post after the Knicks objected, eliminating the need for further legal action.

“The Knicks remain neutral on political matters,” a team spokesperson said. “We hope all our elected officials, whether current or recently elected, do a great job in office.”

From Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign to the White House and now Aber Kawas, the Knicks have responded the same way each time: protect the franchise’s trademarks while making clear that the organization does not endorse political candidates.