Knicks Guard Kolek Calls Taylor Swift the Team's 'Fakest' Celebrity Fan on a Livestream: 'A Little Performative'
New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek named pop star Taylor Swift as the team's "fakest" celebrity fan during an NBA 2K TikTok livestream on November 5, saying her appearances at games are "a little performative." Kolek made the remark while playing the game alongside teammate Miles "Deuce" McBride, and it quickly set off an online argument between Swift's fans and Knicks fans.
According to Page Six and the New York Post, Kolek first said courtside celebrity culture at Knicks games is "very performative, 'cause, like, they just want to be seen at the game. They're not necessarily fans." Asked to name someone, he said: "Maybe Taylor Swift? I don't know if I've seen her at any other games. I guess she has a lot going on so she can't come all the time. But it's a little performative."
McBride said he agreed, while warning that "Swifties [are] not gonna like that answer." Kolek acknowledged, "I'm going to get some hate from the Swifties." The two went on to praise Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan as genuine, longtime Knicks celebrity fans.
Swift sat courtside at Madison Square Garden on June 10 for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, wearing an orange-and-blue "Stevie Knicks" T-shirt and cheering alongside Este and Alana Haim as the Knicks edged the San Antonio Spurs 107-106. New York went on to win the championship, its first in 53 years.
Swift's connection to the Knicks, however, predates this year's title run. Parade noted her 2014 interview with TIME, in which she said she grew fond of the team after meeting Knicks player Amar'e Stoudemire and recalled performing at a halftime talent competition at Madison Square Garden as a child; asked why she supported a struggling team, she said, "I love them, though. Why does that matter?" The Post also noted that in May, during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, Swift was spotted rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside Travis Kelce, which had drawn the ire of Knicks fans at the time.
Reaction online was split: one fan wrote, "Yall mad this take is on point," and another called it "Beyond accurate," while a Swift fan shot back, "Taylor been to more Knicks games than you Tyler." Page Six reported that Swift's representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kolek, 25, a native of Providence, Rhode Island, is the backup point guard to Jalen Brunson and won the NBA championship with the Knicks this year.
Source: NBA 2K TikTok livestream
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 泰勒·科勒克本人资料图（2026年7月14日摄于纽约《奥德赛》首映礼，Philip Romano摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons）
