Knicks Respond to Player Tyler Kolek’s Claim That Taylor Swift is a ‘Performative’ Fan

New York Knicks point guard Tyler Kolek said Taylor Swift might be the “fakest” celebrity fan he’s seen supporting the team

via: EW

Turns out Swifties aren’t the only ones coming for Knicks point guard Tyler Kolek after his Taylor Swift diss.

The New York Knicks organization itself responded to Kolek’s claim that Swift is the “fakest celebrity Knicks fan” and “a little performative,” telling Entertainment Weekly in a statement Friday, “Taylor Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden, and we are incredibly appreciative of her support of the organization.”

Not only has Swift sat courtside during games, including game 4 of the NBA Finals at MSG in June, she has performed eight sold-out concerts at the New York City landmark. And lest anyone forget, the Grammy winner and her husband, Travis Kelce, hosted their star-studded wedding at the iconic arena in July.

“Thank you to everyone at MSG that allowed us to do this. We wanted to do it somewhere where we could have a very intimate and genuine setting without a lot of distractions,” Kelce gushed of the venue on his New Heights podcast in September. “And we needed it to be a private feel. And MSG went above and beyond to give us that.”

Kolek perhaps didn’t clock the relationship between MSG and Swift when he dissed her in a chat with his teammate Miles “Deuce” McBride during an NBA 2K TikTok livestream this week.

When posed a question about “the fakest celebrity Knicks fan,” Kolek said people at games can be “very performative.”

“Because, like, they just want to be seen at the game, they’re not necessarily fans,” he continued. “Maybe Taylor Swift?”

“I would agree,” McBride chimed in, to which Kolek noted he “doesn’t know if [he’s] seen her at any other games” than the NBA Finals matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

McBride then predicted that “Swifties aren’t going to like that answer,” as Kolek seemed aware he was going to “get some hate” for his comments.

“Everybody else is usually solid. Like, you know, like, Ben Stiller, Tracy [Morgan],” McBride said, listing some of the other celebrities who are spotted throughout the regular NBA season.

Kolek, however, was still stuck on Swift. “I guess she has a lot going on so she can’t come all the time,” he said. “But it’s a little performative.”

Shortly after the video was posted, Knicks fans rushed to the comments section to debate Kolek’s divisive opinion. “Yall mad this take is on point,” one person said, with another adding, “Beyond accurate.”

Other commenters defended Swift. “No Taylor is a fan, you’ll find pictures of her going back over a decade supporting them even when they were losing,” a fan claimed, referring to Knicks games Swift attended in 2014. “I don’t know why everyone jumps to call her fake, is it just vibes?”

Another noted that Swift has “been there before Tyler was even on the team,” as Kolek joined the Knicks in 2024.

After moving to the Big Apple in 2014, Swift was seen at home games against the Chicago Bulls with Karlie Kloss, and the Orlando Magic with Amanda Seyfried and Justin Long.

Swift and Kelce also caught a Knicks game in May, when they took on his favorite team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, at Rocket Arena in Ohio.