A staple of Celebrity Row at Knicks playoffs games had another NYC commitment Monday night — but it didn’t stop him from officially submitting his prediction for the series.
Ben Stiller, whose fandom and presence at the Garden has been well-documented across their recent playoff runs, attended the Met Gala with his wife, Christine Taylor, as the Knicks hosted the 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
As the couple walked up stairs and someone shouted about the Knicks, the actor and director helped up six fingers to signal his pick for the Knicks to advance after six games in a rematch of the thrilling first-round series two years ago.
During that series, Stiller took a jab at Kelly Oubre Jr. on X after the 76ers guard called out Celebrity Row at the Garden by saying, “They’re gonna give celebrities those $100,000 [worth of] free tickets just to be there and not care about the game.”
“Oh I think I care a lot more than you think that you thought I cared…” Stiller wrote on X at the time. “Kelly Who-bre?”
Last year, Stiller and actor Timothée Chalamet even made trips to Detroit and Indianapolis when the Knicks faced the Pistons and Pacers, respectively, in the playoffs, and most recently, during their Game 5 win over the Hawks last series, Stiller sat between Taylor and Kylie Jenner — with the latter also sitting next to Chalamet, her boyfriend.
Stiller, who donned an orange tie at the Met Gala, also defended his Knicks fandom on social media earlier Monday, after one user — in an unrelated Knicks thread — questioned the legitimacy of his fandom and another wondered why he wasn’t posting on social media during the franchise’s low points before their recent surge.
“My fandom didn’t start when twitter was invented,” Stiller wrote in an X reply. “Tweets don’t equal fandom ask Spike. I’ve been a fan since 73. Lived in LA 92-2012.. my posting is not indicative of my commitment to the team. Ask Ron Baker. Or Lou Amundsen. Or Henry Bibby or Mike Glenn. Or Bernard King or Louis Orr or Spencer Haywood.. ( i don’t actually know them personally but I love the Knicks).”
Stiller will have the chance to attend at least one more home game during the Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Knicks hosting the 76ers in Game 2 on Wednesday before the series shifts to Philadelphia.
Games 5 and 7, if necessary, would be May 12 and 17, respectively.
