The New York Knicks have not been to the NBA Finals since 1999. That drought, now over, has turned Madison Square Garden into one of the most star-packed venues in the country over the past two weeks.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2026 Finals pit the Knicks against the San Antonio Spurs, the same team that beat New York in five games 27 years ago. The rematch has energized the city, with fans flooding the streets around the arena for outdoor watch parties while a long list of celebrities fill the seats inside.
Among the Knicks superfans appearing regularly courtside are Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, and Tracy Morgan. Game 3 drew President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner showed up for Game 4. Other names spotted across the series include Jay-Z, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Larry David, Jon Stewart, Cardi B, Greta Gerwig, Adrien Brody, Michael J. Fox, Jimmy Fallon, Wu-Tang Clan, and Sydney Sweeney, who attended Game 4 with boyfriend Scooter Braun.
One of the most consistent courtside presences has been Jordyn Woods, model, entrepreneur, and fiancée of Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns proposed on Christmas Eve, and Woods has been at games throughout the Finals run.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Game 5, Woods talked about an orange purse she brings to games that fans have turned into a superstition. The team has tended to win when she carries it.
"It happened very organically. It wasn't intentional. I was never the one that was like, 'This is the lucky bag. Everyone needs to say that,'" she said. "It just happened. It is immense pressure that the one time I couldn't bring the bag, and we lost, so now it has created more of a hysteria."
Woods said Towns is fully on board. "He's always been my biggest support, my No. 1 support. So he's loving that both of us get to win in the process."
She also talked about the city's energy around the team. The Knicks' run, she said, has united New York in a way she has felt personally. Woods has been spotted courtside alongside Kylie Jenner and Chalamet across multiple games.
Game 5 between the Knicks and Spurs was scheduled for Saturday.
