Actor and media personality Michael Rapaport targeted Zohran Mamdani on social media following a wave of fan violence after the New York Knicks' home loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The confrontation erupted after the Spurs secured a victory on Monday night.
Outside Madison Square Garden, a large crowd became chaotic, prompting intervention from the New York Police Department.
In separate incidents, MySA reported that visiting San Antonio fans were mobbed, had jerseys ripped off, and were subjected to harassment while being escorted to a taxi.
The wife of a Spurs player and her friend also reported being given the middle finger, while more than 20 people were allegedly arrested after a mass brawl at Bryant Park.
Sharing a video of the postgame disorder on X, Rapaport condemned the behavior and focused his criticism at Mamdani.
"These ain't Knick fans or Basketball fans," Rapaport wrote. "This is embarrassing for NYC, D— STAIN ZORON MANDAMI refer to this as 'kids being kids' Not on my watch, RAPAPORT 2029," he added.
Mamdani's office responded by condemning the violence committed in the name of basketball fandom.
"New Yorkers are understandably passionate about the Knicks, and the overwhelming majority of fans watched the game last night in ways that were both safe and fun," Mamdani spokesman Sam Raskin told MySA. "But the fights and disruptive incidents — including assaults on police officers — in various parts of the city are unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
The exchange follows a recent appearance on NewsNation, where Rapaport spoke with Chris Cuomo about his intentions to run for mayor of New York City in 2029, explicitly targeting Mamdani.
"I never thought that I would even consider running for mayor of New York City, and I will do it with the best intentions. And I won't do it the way any other political person has ever done it," Rapaport told Cuomo at the time. Rapaport added that "the only way to beat this guy is to make it and take it with New York City street fight mentality."
Insisting that the city needs to prepare for the upcoming election cycle, Rapaport stated he would remain in the race until a more suitable candidate enters.
"But New York City needs to do something," he added. "We need to plan right now because 2029 is around the corner, and, yes, I'm running for mayor of New York City. And I will only drop out until I feel like there's somebody who's more qualified that could actually beat Zohran the moron."
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.