In 1994, the world nearly witnessed the New York Knicks win their first NBA championship since 1973. The team, led by Patrick Ewing (and a letdown by John Starks), fell short against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in seven games. (Starks shot 0-11 from three-point range and 2-18 overall in Game 7; the Knicks haven’t been particularly close to winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy since.)
This is not how the ’94 NBA Finals are remembered.
On June 17, 1994, with the best-of-seven championship series tied at 2-2 and the Knicks on the brink of a home win, most of the NBC affiliates carrying Game 5 split up: half the Knicks Rockets, half the Collings driving O.J. Simpson on various Los Angeles freeways at slow speeds before a heavy police escort. Simpson claimed he was holding a loaded gun to his head in the back of his white Ford Bronco, saying he was going to kill himself. Police took the threat seriously, perhaps in part because Simpson was at the time a respected former NFL star, an active analyst for NBC Sports, and the star of a television show. Naked gun movies – but also because he had just killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her partner Ron Goldman. Allegedly.
By the time Timothy Hal Chalamet was born on December 27, 1995, Simpson had been criminally acquitted of murder charges. Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a civil case, and the court of public opinion always knew the truth.
Chalamet, 30, is not especially A long-suffering Knickerbockers fan – but last night, he earned his own fan card (and, I would argue, his man card).
On Monday, the Knicks opened their second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, defeating their tri-district rivals 137-98. New York’s 20-8 run to end the game wasn’t the team’s 67-13 run to upset the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, but it was more than enough to put Philly stars Paul George and Joel Embiid to bed. Not that they probably slept well.
In keeping with modern tradition, Chalamet sat in the front row of the show, wearing light blue Adidas shoes on the hardwood. But what made last night’s appearance special wasn’t necessarily where Chalamet was, but rather where he wasn’t.
The only other game in town last night that could rival Game One was the 2026 Met Gala, the massive annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This is where Chalamet’s girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, was located, along with family members Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kris Jenner. Ben Stiller was there too.
These days, this side of Spike Lee (and with all due respect, Tracy Morgan), Stiller and Chalamet are the main tenants of Madison Square Garden’s Celebrity Row. They had a tough decision to make on Monday, and in the end it was Zoolander, not Marty Supreme, who ingested MSG at the Met Gala. (Note: Not the Mets, because most people wouldn’t skip a root canal to see the last-place New York Mets.) Lee did the right thing this year, choosing to attend the game during the ceremony (assuming he was invited), a reversal of his controversial 2025 pick.
This year’s Met Gala was not without controversy. Amazon CEO (and founder and former CEO) Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez were the main sponsors of this year’s high-end fashion event, which led to a great deal of backlash. For $10 million, Bezos and Sanchez have bought their way into the upper echelons of high society, co-chairing last night’s event alongside Anna Wintour, Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams.
Seeing Chalamet (not Steeler) sitting on the court in a folding chair was startling and, for some, perhaps reinforced Wonka A star like Jack Nicholson of the East. (Lee remains the Hollywood name most associated with the Knicks, but the directors don’t have the allure of a leading man.) Imagine telling Kylie Jenner that you’re skipping her annual Super Bowl for an early second-round basketball game? The Kardashians have gotten divorced for less than that.
Of course, Kylie isn’t the only fashion icon in the relationship: Chalamet is a brand ambassador for Chanel and Cartier, and a creative advisor to Urban Jorgensen. He regularly tops annual red carpet power rankings, a collaboration between Hollywood Reporter And release measurements. Skipping the Met Gala in favor of the Knicks game was as much a professional decision for Chalamet as it was a personal statement.
Last night, while cheering on his mates solo, Chalamet went from being a pretty boy to a man – no easy leap. Meanwhile, to get back into the park’s good mood, on Wednesday, the Steelers may have to buy the equivalent of a beer in the world’s most famous arena.
Let’s go Knicks!
