Knicks enthusiasm has never been more widespread, and the courtside style of celebrity fans epitomized just how hard New York City is being hit.
Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Este, Alana Haim and Jerry Seinfeld were among the biggest fans of the NBA Finals who watched from the floor of Madison Square Garden as the New York Knicks rallied from a 29-point deficit and OG Anunoby’s tip-in for a one-point victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Wednesday night with 1.2 seconds left.
Game 4, which gave the Knicks a 3-1 lead in the championship series, averaged 7.2 million viewers, but thousands more watched every play at game parties in the five boroughs and beyond. Bars, restaurants, parks, hotels, diners, and even some coffee shops were filled with men and women rooting for the Knicks and Spurs, the majority of whom preferred to wear orange and blue. Dozens of fans watched from sidewalks in some Manhattan neighborhoods, but their preferred viewing spots were full.
Wearing pale blue nail polish and ruby red lipstick, Swift blew a kiss to the Jumbotron before a preview to an estimated 19,812 fans at The Garden on Wednesday night. The 14-time Grammy winner coyly gave fans a spin on her profession, opting for ripped black jeans and a royal blue T-shirt with “STEVIE KNICKS” printed in orange, reminiscent of the Fleetwood Mac singer and solo artist. Swift’s seatmate, Law & Order’s Mariska Hargitay, had a devastated look on her face after the historic come-from-behind victory, looking knocked out in disbelief and walking around the courtroom with her hand over her mouth and shaking her head.

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Swift previewed her Game 4 looks on Instagram with Alana and Este Haim, who also wore ripped jeans at the knees, high-heeled sandals, and similar Panther T-shirts with “Nickelback” and “Nicole Kidman” screen-printed on them, respectively.
Chalamet and Kylie Jenner doubled down on their denim looks, with the “Dune” actor wearing a jean jacket, white T-shirt, and jeans with orange accents, and the Kylie Cosmetics founder teaming it with a white tank and similar jeans.
Like Chalamet, Hailey Bieber also opted for a Canadian tuxedo, a denim jacket and jeans, but in her case included a blue T-shirt that offered a play on words similar to Swift’s. “Nick’s Greatest Thrill” was the message beneath the basketball icon on the Road founder’s royal blue top. Bieber also showed off his jewelry, wearing 3-carat oval diamond and white gold gypset hoop earrings by Jessica McCormick.

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Before the start of Game 4, Adam Sandler, wearing an oversized orange hoodie and khakis, stood steadily and posed for a selfie with the crowd of fans. Spike Lee, an avid fan, showed up wearing an orange short-sleeve shirt with one blue sleeve that read “ORANGE AND BLUE,” and a matching knit hat. Chris Rock was all Knicks, too, wearing a stadium jacket with the logo and a baseball cap. Fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld stepped up his college look with a navy shirt, rusty suede jacket, jeans, and gray sneakers. His former boss, the bespectacled Larry David, was also dressed in a bit of an “Ivy style” style, with a brick-red baseball cap, loose blue blazer, and blue shirt. Michael J. Fox also kept it classic with a white T-shirt and navy jacket. Seinfeld’s wife Jessica opted for a white baseball cap, a slouchy gray top, light tan pants, and white sneakers. Ben Stiller also dressed modestly in a black T-shirt and black pants.

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Sportswear like T-shirts, crop tops, hoodies, and hats are becoming everyday wear in New York because many people aren’t waiting for their favorite team’s colors to be unveiled at a game party. The NBA provides merchandise for all 30 teams and sells more than $1 billion in licensed apparel, but Knicks merchandise is also sold through brands such as Nike, Mitchell & Ness and Fanatics.
Thirteen years after the NBA first teamed up with the Sports Logo Coalition and federal and local law enforcement to seize hundreds of counterfeit NBA merchandise, counterfeit products continue to plague the league, with counterfeit products costing an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue annually. In February, New York Knicks LLC and MSG Sports LLC filed a complaint in federal court seeking to stop vendors from selling copycat merchandise in front of Madison Square Garden. New Yorkers can find low-priced unauthorized Knicks T-shirts and other essentials sold on the sidewalk by knock-off experts.
Fanbases are increasingly immersed in pop culture and branding, whether they’re wearing official merchandise or not. Katie Thomas, founder of Kearney Consumers Association, detailed the shift in how consumers are seeking in-person experiences in a time of uncertainty and increased digital dependence. She said such cultural touchstones bring people together, whether it’s the World Cup, Love Island watch parties or last summer’s blockbuster film Wicked. Sports is one of the easier communities to come together, she said, but it’s also a place where a lot of people come together who have been fans for years.
“That’s true with the Knicks, and it’s been a long time since the Knicks won. Sometimes fandom is based on momentum, and that’s clearly the case with the Knicks. The more excitement you get, the harder it is to ignore it, even as a casual fan,” Thomas said.
Team pride will be on full display in Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday night as the Knicks look to win their first championship since 1973. Either way, the fan base is sure to grow this summer as the World Cup begins on Saturday. And Swifties will have another reason to celebrate next month when the “Showgirls” star marries Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. The power couple reportedly rented Madison Square Garden for $3 million for a three-day party.
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