Reading time: 2 minutes
Earlier this week The New York Knicks made a historic comeback against the San Antonio Spurs to go three games to one in the NBA Finals.
As usual, the stars were out in force on MSG’s Celebrity Row, with Taylor Swift shines brightest.
The world’s most famous singer was flanked by friends Mariska Hargitay and the Haim sisters, all wearing t-shirts with puns on the team’s name (Taylor read “Stevie Knicks).
When the Knicks won, Taylor seemed happy as a million Chalamets — but like everything she does, her participation quickly became a source of controversy.
Now, Taylor spent years in Manhattan, and she considers New York her adopted hometown.
But many people question her legitimacy as a Knicks fan. In short, she is accused of a violent act of bandwagon jumping.
Usually it’s a pretty innocent crime, and most sports fans are a little guilty of it at one point or another (hey, you’ve got to do something when your team is eliminated from the playoffs).
But as Mariska knows, some transgressions are considered particularly heinous, and in the New Yorker’s eyes, a random fan claiming four seats at the courts is a capital offense.
Some believe that even Selena Gomez shaded Taylor’s Knicks fandom, a rumor that originated when Selena commented “lol” on a post about Swift sitting courtside.
But like TMZ points out, Selena has since clarified the matter, insisting she didn’t mean to offend her bestie.
“Woke up to so many texts. I would never insult my friends and it wasn’t an insult either,” she wrote.
The same cannot be said for New York sportswriter Monica McNutt, who was caught noting Taylor’s presence in an unfortunate hot mic moment.
“She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl,” McNutt said before the game.
In remarks to TMZ, McNutt later clarified that she stands corrected and has since learned that Taylor is actually a diehard Knicks fan who owns such coveted merch as a game-worn Amar’e Stoudamire jersey.
McNutt stated that her original comment was merely a reflection of the fact that she had been covering Celebrity Row all season and had not seen Taylor participate in a match.
So there you have it. Taylor has the express written, authorized approval of the Knicks media team.
Will she be in the crowd on Tuesday if the Spurs manage to send the series back to New York? Perhaps.
But Taylor is probably hoping Jalen Brunson and company get the job done tomorrow night.
We will keep you updated.
