NEW YORK – Just as New York Knicks coach Mike Brown was wrapping up his news conference on Sunday, a familiar voice interrupted from the back of the room. It was none other than rapper Fat Joe, eager to make his presence known.
The artist playfully teased Coach Brown about his choice of sneakers, adding a humorous twist by requesting an autographed pair, should the Knicks clinch the championship. It seems the NBA Finals practice day was not just about basketball but also a stage for the team’s celebrity fans to join the fun.
Among those soaking up the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden was actor Ben Stiller. Capturing moments on video and meeting Coach Brown for the first time, Stiller added his own star power to the event.
Reflecting on the day, Brown beamed with enthusiasm, saying, “It’s a great day for me today. For the first time, I got a chance to meet Ben Stiller. I don’t know if he’s in here or not. I actually gave him a handshake and a hug. I got my man Fat Joe sitting in the back. This is a great day for Mike Brown.”
“A great day for me today,” Brown said at the start of his remarks. “For the first time I got a chance to meet Ben Stiller. I don’t know if he’s in here or not. I actually gave him a handshake and a hug. I got my man Fat Joe sitting in the back. This is a great day for Mike Brown.”
Stiller was indeed there, recording from a position toward the side of the room.
Brown, in his first season in New York, recently said Fat Joe was the celebrity he had gotten to know best. His wife noticed Stiller standing on the court when the Knicks clinched the Eastern Conference championship in Cleveland, but she was too shy to ask to take a photograph.
The Knicks’ celebrity fans, including the likes of director Spike Lee and actors Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet, having been following the team at home and on the road during the postseason. Fat Joe said the trip to the NBA Finals, the Knicks’ first since 1999, has brought the city together.
“I’ve seen Hasidic Jews breakdancing with Black kids outside the stadium. This is the greatest unification you’ve ever seen of this New York City in your life since 9/11,” he said. “If you want to know what we felt like in 9/11 after the tragedy, it’s what you’re seeing around New York City, is everybody together. This is insane.
“I’ve got a friend, he puts a screen in his backyard. He said the whole neighborhood, people he’s never talked to in his life are walking through his house, opening the refrigerator. This is like, unbelievable.”
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