Knicks guard Tyler Kolek knew the Swifties weren’t going to appreciate him calling Taylor Swift the “fakest” celebrity fan that sits courtside. It wouldn’t matter if she actually was, that group will defend the singer no matter what.
He probably didn’t know his own franchise was going to throw him under the bus. They did, almost immediately after his comments started to circulate.
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Taylor Swift and Mariska Hargitay attend Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 10, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
A spokesperson said in a statement to OutKick, “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.”
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Now if anyone was going to have his back, it would be his girlfriend Lexi Sousa, right? While I’m sure she didn’t kick him out of the house over it, she didn’t exactly have his back either.
She reminded Kolek that he was one of the guys in attendance during the Era’s Tour, who, it doesn’t sound like needed to be dragged there by his girlfriend. The heat from the Swifties, including his girlfriend, had him walk back the comment.
“It’s just a question that was asked for me, that maybe I answered in the wrong way. Take that on the chin. I love her music. We were just playing it five minutes ago, and I’m singing every word to every song. Nothing against her at all,” he said after the Knicks win over the Cavs this weekend, according to the NY Post.
Tyler Kolek of the New York Knicks poses for a portrait after winning Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 13, 2026. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)
“People have been going back and sending me all this stuff about her coming to the games, and she was actually wearing a [No.] 13 jersey [of] Joakim Noah back in the day with Carmelo [Anthony]. That’s on me. I wasn’t up to date on my Taylor Swift Knicks fandom. So that’s on me.”
As someone with no dog in this fight, other than some minor skirmishes with Swifties, it’s bizarre that the team that won the NBA Championship last season is getting caught up in such a made-up controversy.
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The fact that the Knicks wanted no part of the Swifties too is another piece of this that is hard for me to wrap my mind around. All I’m going to say is Tyler Kolek better bone up on his Kylie Jenner Knicks fandom.
She’s easily my favorite Knicks fan. She might not have a group of insane fans who go to war with anyone who criticizes her, but I will take offense if there are any claims that Kylie isn’t a real fan.
Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner attend Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals. (Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
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She’s done more for the Knicks than a lot of other fans, including Taylor Swift. Unlike Kolek, I’ll stand by that.
You won’t find my apologizing, because if you do, you’ll end up doing things like Taylor Swift karaoke in the locker room.