Yes, Taylor Swift joined the Kansas City Chiefs family when she started dating Travis Kelce. But she won’t be so quick to marry into her fiancé’s Cleveland Cavaliers fandom: She pledged allegiance to the New York Knicks over a decade ago. Swift’s Knicks vs. Spurs Game 4 outfit on June 10 declared her house is still divided on the basketball court.
Only a genuine Knicks fan would book a red-eye flight from L.A.’s Toy Story 5 premiere to Madison Square Garden. Page Six first reported Swift would join Timothée Chalamet and Spike Lee in “celebrity row.” If anyone can boost the NBA finalists’ morale after Monday’s tragic loss, it’s Swift. With her infectious energy—and chic courtside style—the Knicks have a shot at resuming their 13-game winning streak. Swifties know she’s that powerful.
Kelce is still grieving his beloved Cleveland Cavaliers’ loss, far from the confines of MSG. Swift didn’t have to do one last walkthrough of their rumored wedding venue alone—she was joined by Este and Alana Haim. The bride-to-be left all wedding whites at the security checkpoint. Instead, she committed to Knicks dressing with a cheeky homage to a superstar she references in The Tortured Poets Department.
Taylor Swift debuted her Knicks vs. Spurs Game 4 outfit minutes before the tip off.
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The Haims (and their honorary sister) strolled into The Garden in matching shirts. I wouldn’t be surprised if the baby tees were custom-made for this moment. Cobalt blue tops flooded the arena stands, but none of them delivered a play on words this creative: Swift altered Stevie Nicks’s name to “Stevie Knicks,” splattered in the team’s signature orange shade across her torso.
Why Stevie? Well, she’s always adored the Fleetwood Mac singer. “She’s really been one of the reasons why I—or any female artist—gets to do what we get to do now. She’s paved the way for us,” Swift said on the Eras Tour. She even referenced her in The Tortured Poets Department‘s “Clara Bow”.
Of course Alana and Este followed her lead with Hollywood legends, representing Knicole Kidman and Knickleback.
Swift paired the short sleeve with a straight-leg take on the black jeans trend by Area, which featured horizontal slits around each thigh. They seemed cut from the same cloth as the Area denim she wore to the 2024 Super Bowl, minus each keyhole’s crystalized trim. Maybe they’ll revive the same winning energy they brought to the Kansas City Chiefs on Super Bowl Sunday. Swift dangled a silver chainlink across her belt loops, but sky-high Versace sandals added yellow gold to the mix.
She—and the Haim sisters—were unmissable in celebrity row.
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Thankfully, the no-bag policy was lifted before Game 4. So, Swift carried her Dior D-Motion Bag into MSG, no questions asked. The crossbody tote and its quilted bucket body sold out weeks ago, when it accessorized her little white Retrofête dress a few miles away from her team’s home court. Kelce wasn’t Swift’s plus-one, but her engagement ring proved he was there in spirit.
She’s every bit the active fan.
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The pop star’s personal style has done a complete 180 since her first New York Knicks games. 1989-era Swift in 2014 would’ve never worn her faded wide-leg denim, H&M x Stella McCartney tank top, and Dior Cigale Bag at Game 3 of the Cavaliers vs. Knicks NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Skinny jeans were more of her courtside speed back in the day. Plus, her bejeweled tank would be way too flashy.
Taylor Swift joined Travis Kelce at the Knicks vs. Cavaliers game last month.
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The “Blank Space” singer joined celebrity row for the first time on Oct. 29, 2014, when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Knicks. (That’s two days after 1989 first broke sales records, by the way.) She kept her merch to a minimum, adding a teeny-tiny Knicks pin to her black top with three-quarter-length sleeves.
Whether she was on stage or in the MSG stands, matching sets were the main character in her 1989 closet. It’s no surprise that skinny jeans and Christian Louboutin boots continued the color story. Six sets of buckles on each stiletto felt surprisingly grungy for the pop princess. Yet, because of their red bottoms, the Louboutins weren’t too off-brand.
Over 10 years ago, Swift joined Karlie Kloss at a New York Knicks game.
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Once the 1989 debut dust settled, Swift returned to Madison Square Garden in Nov. 2014, hoping her second pair of skinny jeans would double as a good luck charm. Sadly, the Knicks lost again, this time to the Orlando Magic.
Swifties still won, though. Her style slam dunk stacked a burgundy long-sleeve and terracotta-tinted denim over black Rag & Bone boots. They were noticeably missing any embellishments, unless each block heel counts.
One month later, Swift reclaimed her courtside seat in skinny jeans again.
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Originally, Swifties suspected this Knicks appearance would be like Swift’s last: surprisingly devoid of any orange or blue picks. But she couldn’t say no to matching with her friends in the front-row. Plus, her Stevie Knicks shirt wasn’t an average way to root for her team. She put time and energy into concocting the theme.
Swift has gone all out for her Madison Square Garden sightings since 2019’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball. But don’t expect her to scream too loud, Travis Kelce-style. The icon is being inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame tomorrow, June 11.
