The Best (and Worst) Dressed Celebrities Sitting Courtside at Knicks Games

The New York Knicks may be headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, but let’s be honest: Madison Square Garden’s celebrity row has been competing in a tournament of its own. Every game has delivered a fresh parade of handbags, vintage sports merch, expensive basics and at least one celebrity who appears to have mistaken the playoffs for a trip to CVS.

Somewhere along the way, Knicks games became the hottest ticket in fashion. On any given night, you might spot a supermodel, an Oscar winner, a beauty mogul and a TikTok heartthrob all fighting for camera time between possessions. And unlike the Met Gala, where celebrities spend months planning their looks, courtside style requires a certain level of spontaneity. 

Ahead, our completely unofficial ranking of the celebrities who understood the assignment this season—and one particularly famous Knicks superfan who may want to spend a little less time watching game film and a little more time looking in the mirror.

The unofficial First Lady of Knicks basketball. Between supporting fiancé Karl-Anthony Towns and serving courtside looks, Woods has become part of the Knicks fashion ecosystem. She understands that playoff dressing is about confidence first (peep the Knicks branded heels!) and trends second.

No one understands courtside dressing quite like Hailey Bieber. While everyone else is trying to figure out whether to wear team merch or luxury fashion, she consistently chooses both. Case in point: when the New York Knicks faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden Jan 31, Bieber arrived in an oversized black leather bomber jacket covered in Knicks patches, paired with black trousers, a mini leather handbag and elongated tortoiseshell sunglasses. The look struck the perfect balance between superfan and supermodel.

Anne Hathaway always just gets it. Unlike celebrities who arrive looking like they’re headed to a fashion week after-party, Hathaway actually dresses like someone excited to be at a basketball game. In preparation for Game 1 of the finals, her Knicks fandom felt genuine, which somehow makes the outfits even better.

A Knicks courtside regular, Kylie mastered the art of high-low dressing in her many courtside appearances. A vintage Knicks jacket paired with luxury accessories doesn't always work on the court, and yet Jenner nails it. Our favorite look? Her totally basketball-appropriate bedazzled white jeans from the Isabel Marant Spring 2013 collection for game 5 of the playoffs.

Look, I appreciate commitment to the bit. No one loves the Knicks more than Timmy. Not the players. Not the coaching staff. Possibly not even Spike Lee…possibly. But somewhere between the oversized Knicks jackets, the random layers and the look of a man who got dressed in the dark because tipoff was in 20 minutes, things have gone sideways. The necklace helps, but the orange and blue ensemble he wore for Game 7 on May 31 is a bridge too far. Together, they created the aesthetic of a hypebeast who accidentally wandered into a jail cell. The good news? At least the Knicks are winning!