Skip to main content
The Athlete Lifestyle logo

Knicks Star Takes Serious Issue With Taylor Swift’s Courtside Behavior

Swift was called out for making just two appearances during the Knicks' postseason run, which was capped off with an NBA championship.
Michael Gallagher|
Taylor Swift on the court after game four of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
Taylor Swift on the court after game four of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought in June, and plenty of celebrities were there to see it.

Taylor Swift, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, was one of them. However, at least one Knicks player isn’t buying her fandom as legit.

Knicks guard Tyler Kolek named Swift the fakest celebrity fan of the team’s title run during an NBA 2K stream with teammate Deuce McBride — and Swifties are not happy about it.

Tyler Kolek Calls Out Taylor Swift

Kolek and McBride were asked to name the fakest celebrity fan they ran into on Madison Square Garden’s famous celebrity row.

Kolek started out by saying some celebrities show up just to be seen.

“At the Knicks games, I would say it’s very performative cuz like they just want to be seen at the game,” Kolek said. “They’re not necessarily fans.”

Then he started naming names. That’s where Swift came up.

“Maybe Taylor Swift,” Kolek said. “I don’t know if I’ve seen her at any other games.”

“I would agree,” McBride responded. “Swifties are not going to like that answer.”

Kolek seemed to know it too. He pointed to MSG regulars like Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan as the real deal. Then he tried walking it back a bit.

“I guess she’s got a lot going on so she can’t come all the time, but…” Kolek said, before McBride cracked that his teammate was “trying to save his a--.”

So did he save it? Not exactly.

“[Her attending games is] a little performative,” Kolek said.

Swifties Fire Back at Kolek

It didn’t take long for Kolek’s comments to make their way to Swift’s fanbase.

Kolek’s comments quickly made the rounds on social media, with fans warning that the Swifties were coming for him. The comment quickly flooded with fans taking shots at Kolek and McBride.

“Swifties don't engage. This loser is just mentioning her name for clout 🤣. No one knows who he is. Taykarma will take care of it 😈,” one fan replied.

“If there’s one thing Taylor and Tyler have in common is that they were both sitting court side during the finals,” another chimed in.

“They were babies when she was singing during the Knicks halftime show,” a third fan wrote.

“There's nothing more fake and performative than trashing Taylor Swift for clicks. So lazy and unoriginall🤡,” one user stated.

“Seriously who is this again 😂? Or who are they? I’ve seen Taylor in the court more than these people,” quipped another user.

However, there were some fans who backed the 25-year-old Kolek for saying what some Knicks fans were already thinking.

“Lmao Kolek be knowing. She be rooting for the Knicks but she’s not a diehard. She isn’t Anne Hathaway,” one fan stated.

Tyler Kolek
New York Knicks point guard Tyler Kolek (13) \dribbles up court during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“tbf she was at Cavs games rooting for them w Travis cuz he’s an actual Cavs fan, so turning around and pulling up as a Knicks fan later in the same run is a little questionable,” another fan noted.

“Where is the lie?? Asking for a friend. LOL,” a third fan asked.

“Just became a huge Kolek fan lol,” one user exclaimed.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA good for him saying that,” another user remarked.

Is Kolek’s Criticism Fair?

It should be noted that Swift did show up when it mattered most.

She and Kelce attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in Cleveland, where the Knicks swept the Cavaliers. She then sat courtside at MSG for Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, rocking a homemade “Stevie Knicks” shirt alongside Este and Alana Haim, who wore “Knickole Kidman” and “Knickelback” shirts of their own.

That was the night the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to win 107-106 — the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.

Swift’s connection to the Garden goes back further than that too. She said in 2014 that she sang at MSG as a kid in the Knicks Kids talent competition, which gave her a “sparkly, magical opinion” of the arena and the team.

Kolek isn’t the first to question her Knicks credentials either.

ESPN’s Monica McNutt was caught saying on air that Swift isn’t a Knicks fan, and later apologized to Swifties after being shown photos of Swift in Knicks gear.

Still, two playoff games in one season isn’t exactly a season-ticket holder’s résumé. And Kolek, McBride, and the rest of the defending champs see the same faces on celebrity row every night.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published
Michael Gallagher
MICHAEL GALLAGHER

Michael Gallagher covers national trending news across the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football and entertainment, bringing over a decade of writing and editing experience in sports journalism. He has won multiple Tennessee Press Association awards, and his bylines can be found on Newsweek, Athlon Sports, Yahoo Sports, The Hockey News, Fox Sports, the Nashville Scene, the Nashville Post, Yardbarker, and SB Nation. You can read more of Michael's work by following him on X @MGsports_.

Share on XFollow MGsports_