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Sesame Street's Elmo Reacts to Being Bullied for Not Supporting New York Knicks
You won't find their names on the depth chart.
But, as Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl Anthony Towns and Co. tipped off against the San Antonio Spurs June 10 in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA finals, there was a different sort of starting five filling the famed seats of Madison Square Garden's so-called celebrity row, where a pair of tickets for Game 3 on June 8 were auctioned off for $1 million.
Among those suiting up: Taylor Swift, Adam Sandler and Michael J. Fox.
Of course, Timothée Chalamet has been a fixture—with and without girlfriend Kylie Jenner—since his beloved New York Knicks began their run to claim the squad's first NBA championship in more than five decades. And superfan Spike Lee has enjoyed a longer run in blue and orange than many of the team's biggest names.
But how exactly does one get drafted for a courtside seat at the world's most famous arena? Turns out, there's a lot of ways to get in the game.
"The biggest misconception is that [Madison Square] Garden controls all the tickets around the court," independent sports media consultant Joe Favorito, who headed up communications for the Knicks from 2001 to 2008, recently told ABC News. "They're actually not."
While they're certainly captain of the squad, the NBA, select Hollywood studios and various brands also have a say in who hits the hardwood. (Though dedicated fans like Lee and actor Dustin Hoffman actually own their season tickets, with Lee joking to sports analyst Stephen A. Smith that he "looks stupid" for spending some $10 million on tickets.)
Favorito said that MSG has a "small cadre" of choice tickets that they're able to distribute to various stars, with Jay-Z, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Mariska Hargitay, Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor among those who have huddled together during the playoff run.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
But, to stay in the game, stars have to be willing to play ball.
While they're welcome to take advantage of the private entrance and enjoy the gourmet fare and alcohol on offer at MSG's Suite 200, "They close down the hospitality stuff before the game starts—so people have to go to their seats," Favorito told Front Office Sports. "It's much more like a Broadway show than Yankee Stadium."
And it's considered rude to exit your seats before the curtain call.
After she and fellow model Irina Shayk strutted away before the end of a 2023 Knicks game, Emily Ratajkowski's subsequent request for Rangers tickets was blocked. An MSG spokesperson told Page Six that while Ratajkowski "was not offered comped tickets" for the NHL squad, which also competes in the arena, "she was offered, and is welcome, to buy great seats any time."
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It's also expected that stars will provide a valuable assist, posing for photos—"Sometimes I don't even realize who's sitting behind me until I turn around and photograph them and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, it's Martha Stewart,'" Getty Images staff photographer Sarah Stier told ABC News—waving to fans on the Jumbotron and supporting the Garden of Dreams charity foundation.
As Liam Neeson put it to The New York Times in 2014, "You don't get something for nothing, and if it helps the Garden if they see someone of my celebrity status—however high or low that is—I'll put on my best Armani suit and go out there."
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Another crucial play is not dunking on the squad's leadership.
"They won’t give me tickets anymore," longtime fan Ethan Hawke revealed on The Bill Simmons Podcast in 2018, sharing that he was cut after critcizing the firing of former coach Mike D’Antoni. "They’d always hook me up. And then I called up one time and they said, 'That’ll be $7,800.' I was like, 'Why is this the first time you guys are charging me?' And they said, 'You should have thought of that before you went on the Jimmy Fallon show.'"
So perhaps Stiller has a smart game plan.
When current head coach Mike Brown admitted his wife Carolyn Brown was too shy to ask the Dodgeball actor to take a photo, he responded on X, "I am available for any picture any time with any member of Mike Brown's immediate or extended family or friends. This man has taken us to the Finals. In his first year here."
We're guessing she'd get the same assist from the rest of the team's other dedicated fans.
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Timothée Chalamet
When it comes to Timothée Chalamet's fandoms, his love of the New York Knicks reigns supreme.
"My grandma was a huge Knicks fan, so that's what turned me onto them," the Marty Supreme star told 7PM in Brooklyn in 2025. "If you live in New York, you are a Knicks fan."
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Kylie Jenner
And if you've been keeping up, then you know Kylie Jenner has been joining Chalamet, whom she's dated since 2023, courtside to cheer on the Knicks.
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Ben Stiller
You could never sever Ben Stiller's tie to the Knicks. In fact, the Severance director said that if he could choose between winning an Oscar or having the team take the championship title, he'd pick the latter.
"I really think, at the end of the day, if I knew that I had the choice, I would give it to the Knicks," he said on New Heights in 2025, "because I knew at least I had the choice in this weird, non-real situation."
David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
Spike Lee
Spike Lee is a longtime Knicks superfan and believes the 2025-2026 roster has what it takes to secure the trophy.
"I don’t care about San Antonio. OKC,” the filmmaker told the New York Post in May 2026. “We’re going to win.”
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Tracy Morgan
Nothing could rock Tracy Morgan's love for the Knicks. As the 30 Rock alum put it on The Rich Eisen Show in 2021, "I'm the biggest Knicks fan there is besides Spike."
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Fat Joe
What's Luv? The way Fat Joe feels about the Knicks.
In fact, hours before the Knicks confirmed their appearance in the finals, the rapper reflected on the decades the team struggled, noting to ESPN, "It’s time. We paid our dues."
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Pete Davidson
Live from New York...it's Pete Davidson. The Saturday Night Live alum has often been seen sitting courtside.
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Chris Rock
Chris Rock's loyalty to the Knicks is no laughing matter as the comedian has attended many games over the years.
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Larry David
Larry David isn't going to curb his enthusiasm for the Knicks.
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JB Smoove
And neither is his costar JB Smoove.
"How it started vs How it ended," the actor wrote on Instagram in 2024. "It’ll always be Knicks for life."
Jordyn Woods / Instagram
Jordyn Woods
Jordyn Woods' love for the Knicks extends on and off the court. The Woods by Jordyn founder is engaged to the team's center Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Cardi B
While Cardi B has a song called "Bodak Yellow," she's all about that orange and blue. In fact, the rapper and former Patriots player Stefon Diggs officially debuted their romance at a 2025 game between the Knicks and the Boston Celtics.
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Anne Hathaway
Is Anne Hathaway wearing the Chanel boots Knicks colors? Yeah, she is. The Devil Wears Prada star showed where her loyalties lie by donning an orange and blue pocket square to The Tonight Show in April 2026.
"I’m very chill," she told host Jimmy Fallon about her fandom. "I’m very loving and calm. But I’m also the type of fan that I considered wearing an OG jersey out here today."
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Jimmy Fallon
Speaking of which, Fallon is also a big fan of the Knicks, with him even bringing his eldest daughter Franny along for the ride during the 2026 NBA playoffs.
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Michael J. Fox
You don't have to travel back to the future to see how much Michael J. Fox loves the Knicks. The actor has gone to many games with his wife Tracy Pollan.
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Jon Stewart
Throughout the Knicks' ups and downs, Jon Stewart has continued to support the team, with The Daily Show host calling himself a "ride or die" fan.
Instagram / Maggie Rogers
Maggie Rogers
A Knicks win is music to Maggie Rogers' ears as the singer has documented her love for the organization.
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