Travis Kelce is defending his viral beer-chugging moment that happened during his date night with Taylor Swift at a Knicks-Cavaliers playoff game.
A pair of New York Knicks players have social media buzzing after naming Taylor Swift the team’s “fakest” celebrity fan.
The conversation unfolded during a video for the NBA 2K League’s TikTok account, where Knicks guards Tyler Kolek and Miles “Deuce” McBride were asked to identify the “fakest celebrity fan” they’ve encountered. Kolek quickly named Taylor Swift, while McBride agreed with the assessment.
“Maybe Taylor Swift?” Kolek said. “I don’t know if I’ve seen her at any other games.” McBride responded, “I would agree. Swifties not gonna like that answer.”
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The comments appeared to reference Swift’s limited appearances at Knicks games compared to celebrity superfans such as Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan, who are regularly spotted courtside at Madison Square Garden.
“Everyone else is usually solid,” Kolek said. “Like Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan — I guess she’s got a lot going on, so she can’t come all the time.”
While Knicks fans may debate the label, Swift was among the high-profile celebrities who supported the team during its championship run last season. The pop star attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden alongside friends Este Haim, Alana Haim and Mariska Hargitay.
The Knicks. The World Cup. Taylor Swift’s likely wedding. Welcome to the Summer of NYC
Welcome to New York! Taylor Swift attends Game 4 of NBA Finals at MSG
She was also spotted at an Eastern Conference Finals game during New York’s postseason run with Travis Kelce.
In response to Kolek’s comments, a Knicks spokesperson told NBC, “Taylor Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden, and we are incredibly appreciative of her support of the organization.”
Social media users were quick to push back on the comments. One person wrote, “If there’s one thing Taylor and Tyler have in common is that they were both sitting court side during the finals.”
Another user shared a side-by-side image showing Swift attending a Knicks game in 2014 alongside what appeared to be a childhood photo of Kolek wearing a middle school basketball jersey, suggesting the singer had been attending Knicks games long before the guard joined the team.
A third commenter added, “She has attended quite a few Knicks games, this bum wasn’t even on the roster yet! Cry harder.”
The New York Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit, the largest in the history of the NBA Finals, to take Game 4 and go up 3-1 in the series against the San Antonio Spurs.
