Dave Portnoy is not fully buying the sudden flood of celebrity support for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
New York's Finals run has turned celebrity row into a nightly event, especially across Games 3 and 4 against the Spurs.
But Portnoy, a diehard Boston Celtics fan, wondered how many of those famous faces would be just as happy sitting courtside in purple and gold.
Portnoy posted the Knicks celebrity question after New York's Game 4 comeback win.
"Honest question. What percentage of Knicks celebrity fans would also show up in Laker gear for Laker celebrity row if the Lakers were in the Finals? I think it's over 50%."
It is a fair troll, but it needs context. Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Morgan, Fat Joe, Larry David, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, John Turturro, and John McEnroe all had Knicks ties before this week.
Taylor Swift is a newer celebrity-row headline, but even she arrived in a "Stevie Knicks" shirt and has New York connections, having attended Knicks games in the past. Derek Jeter and Eli Manning, meanwhile, are New York sports royalty.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
Games 3 and 4 still looked absurd. Donald Trump, Zohran Mamdani, Spike Lee, Stiller, Chalamet, Jeter, Manning, Jay-Z, Robert Kraft, and Larry David were part of the Game 3 scene.
Game 4 brought Swift, Kylie Jenner, Adam Sandler, Mariska Hargitay, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan, Michael J. Fox, Hailey Bieber, Keke Palmer, Julianne Moore, and the Wu-Tang Clan.
Portnoy's point lands more on the casual VIPs. Sandler and Rock have been photographed at Lakers games before, while Jenner has a long LA courtside history. Sandler is an NBA superfan, so his appearances make sense.
That is still different from suggesting Spike Lee, Hargitay, or Chalamet would suddenly become Lakers mascots.
The Lakers do not need borrowed Knicks fans anyway. Their celebrity row has its own All-Star team.
Jack Nicholson, Dyan Cannon, Flea, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Ferrell, Anthony Kiedis, Andy Garcia, Paula Abdul, Lou Adler, Kendrick Lamar, and Adele have all helped make the Lakers' courtside culture its own Hollywood institution.
That is the real answer to Portnoy's question. The Knicks and Lakers both have celebrity superteams, but the actual diehard crossover is smaller than the spectacle makes it look.
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