The celebrity roster at Fanatics Fest looked like a dream team of pop culture icons as the event took place in New York City. Fans were thrilled to see the The New York Knicks featured, and Jalen Brunson shared the stage with Knicks superfan Ben Stiller for a panel that covered a variety of topics.
Brunson and Stiller were joined in their discussion by Knicks franchise icon and Hall of Fame point guard Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Knicks guard Josh Hart and Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, who is also one of the team’s most devoted fans.
Jalen Brunson is dazzled by his meeting with Ben Stiller
At the event, Brunson thought about the first time He met Stiller and shared the emotions he felt during that meeting.
“My first interaction was at a Knicks game and he was talking about how much of a Knicks fan he was,” the Knicks general manager said via PEOPLE.
“And I was just amazed. That was it,” Brunson noted.
Since joining the Knicks in 2022, Brunson has been named the 36th captain in team history, marking the first time since Lance Thomas held the title during the 2018-19 season. He appreciates Stiller’s passion for the Knicks and holds the actor in high regard.
On the other hand, a New York native, Stiller became a devoted Knicks fan in the early 1970s, watching them win the championship and remaining loyal ever since. When he’s not immersed in his work as an actor, filmmaker, or director of Severance, Stiller is known for live-tweeting Knicks games or cheering them on from courtside.
Ben Stiller is one of the New York Knicks superfans
An example of Stiller’s passionate Knicks fandom has come to fruition When the team suffered a tough 113–112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York fans, including Stiller, were frustrated by the lack of a foul call on Luguentz Dort on Jalen Brunson’s late basket that temporarily gave New York the lead.
The NBA’s two-minute report later confirmed that the no-call was correct, prompting an angry response from Stiller, who is frequently active on X during Knicks games.
“This is an April Fools joke, right?” Ben Stiller posted on X (formerly Twitter).
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After Jalen Brunson’s basket, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander responded with the game-winning basket with just over a second left. Had Brunson been called the foul he thought he was, the game could have potentially gone to overtime.
Optimism around Knicks’ championship hopes
Brunson, a Villanova alum, guided the team to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in each of his two seasons after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks.
For the first time since the 1990s, New York fans are genuinely optimistic about the team’s championship prospects. Brunson, who accepted a salary of $110 million The Knicks’ price reduction has reinforced this optimism. In addition, the dynamic synergy between the Villanova-Knicks core adds to the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the team.
Brunson averaged 28.7 points per game last season, earning him his first All-Star selection and a fifth-place finish in NBA MVP voting, according to the league.
