Knicks back Taylor Swift after Kolek and McBride call her their 'fakest' fan

The New York Knicks moved quickly on Friday to separate the organization from two of their own players. Guards Tyler Kolek and Miles "Deuce" McBride named Taylor Swift as the team's least authentic celebrity fan during a TikTok stream, and the club followed with a statement praising her loyalty, USA TODAY Sports reported.

The remarks came during an NBA 2K stream with the NBA 2K League account, which Bleacher Report said was shared Thursday. A fan asked who the fakest celebrity Knicks fan had been during last season's title run. Kolek offered Swift, saying he did not recall seeing her at other games, and McBride agreed. "It's a little performative," Kolek said, according to USA TODAY Sports. The two singled out Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan as courtside regulars, Billboard reported, and McBride laughed that Swift's fans would not like the answer.

The team's response, given to ESPN and other outlets, described Swift as a Knicks fan of many years with deep ties to Madison Square Garden and said the organization was grateful for her support. The record backs up at least part of that. Swift sat courtside for Game 4 of the Finals against San Antonio in June wearing a "Stevie Knicks" shirt, and she was also at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland, the hometown team of her husband, Travis Kelce. She and Kelce were married at the Garden this summer. The Knicks beat the Spurs in five games for their first championship in 53 years.

Nothing here touches the rotation. It is still an awkward week for two backcourt reserves on a defending champion that has spent the early season climbing out of a hole, and the club made clear whose side it is on.

What it means for Saturday in Cleveland

The distraction lands just as the Knicks have found their footing. New York opened 0-3, with losses to Philadelphia, Boston and Orlando, and has gone 4-1 since to reach 4-4. The last two were comfortable wins at the Garden: 103-90 over Brooklyn and 135-105 over Chicago, the second Bulls win in four games. The only loss in that stretch was a 98-93 decision at Philadelphia.

Next up is a road game Saturday, November 7, against the Cavaliers on NBA TV, a rematch of last spring's conference finals in the building where Swift's fandom got its first close look.

The board for the game has New York favored. On Novig, one of 12 venues listed, the Knicks are -182 on the moneyline and Cleveland is +174. The spread there is Knicks -4.5 at -108, with the Cavaliers +4.5 at +104. The widest Cleveland number anywhere is +5.5 at -115 on theScore Bet, a full point more than Novig shows. Novig has the total at 223.5, over -108 and under +102, while DraftKings has the best under at 225.5 for -114. Sportsbook hold runs from 2.4% to 5.5% across the three markets, so the venues are fairly close on the main lines, with the only real gaps coming on the spread and total.