New York Knicks point guard Tyler Kolek has had some time to think about it and has decided that he’s a Swiftie after all. The Knicks player and fellow guard Miles “Deuce” McBride stirred up some dust last week when they criticized Taylor Swift for being the “fakest” fans of the 2026 NBA champions, saying she and her celebrity row friends were “performative.”
The comment came in a clip from an NBA 2K TikTok livestream Deflected post last Thursday, in which the men played games while naming who they thought were the least authentic Knicks fans. “Maybe Taylor,” Kolek said, with McBride seconding, “I would agree.”
It sounds like maybe Kolek has had a change of heart, though, since fellow Knick shooting guard Jordan Clarkson wrote in his Instagram Stories on Saturday (Nov. 7) that the baller had second thoughts. “He apologizes … the kid is OK,” wrote Clarkson, according to US magazine. Not only did Clarkson offer up Kolek’s apology, but he also posted footage of the 25-year-old baller singing a bit of Swift’s 1989 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Blank Space” in the locker room after the Knicks victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. “He’s a Swiftie,” he assured viewers.
The New York Times reported that Kolek had more to say about his Swift diss after Saturday’s game, telling the paper, “Obviously with everything (going on), people have been going back and sending me all the stuff about her going to the games. And she was actually wearing a 13 jersey (in one picture). Probably Joakim Noah back in the day with Carmelo (Anthony). So, I wasn’t up to date on my Taylor Swift Knicks fandom, so that’s on me.”
The paper reported that after the Knicks’ 109-97 win on Saturday, players blasted Swift’s songs in the locker room, including “Shake It Off” and “You Belong With Me,” something they did after Friday’s practice in New York as well.
“(The video) was everywhere. Everybody saw it,” Kolek said on Saturday. “But it is what it is. For me, it’s just a question that was asked to me that maybe I answered in the wrong way. I take that on the chin. But 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.”
It was a very quick heel turn from Kolek’s original statement, in which he opined, “At the Knicks games, I would say it’s very performative because they just want to be seen at the game. They’re not necessarily fans,” Kolek said last week, calling out the singer and claiming she doesn’t attend any other teams’ games.
An NBA spokesperson, however, refuted the claim in a statement to Billboard, saying, “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.” In addition to attending Knicks games, Swift and Kelce got married at the team’s home venue, Madison Square Garden, earlier this year.
Swift made her presence known at Game 4 of this year’s NBA Finals, where she was front and center in celebrity row alongside friend and actress Mariska Hargitay and Este and Alana Haim of the band Haim in custom Knicks T-shirts. She’d also previously traveled with now-husband Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to watch an away game against the Cavaliers.
