Photo-illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
I’ve seen NBA players make stupid mistakes in my time, but Tyler Kolek calling Taylor Swift a “performative” Knicks fan — on the internet, for everyone to hear — might just take the cake. Kolek has since apologized, but it’ll probably take more than just “Blank Space” karaoke for Swifties to forgive him.
Last week, Kolek and Knicks teammate Miles McBride appeared on Deflecteda live show where guests are asked “awkward questions” while playing video games. (Men will watch anything.) At one point, the duo was asked to name the “fake” Knicks fan, and rather than “deflect,” as we all hoped, Kolek chose violence. “Maybe Taylor Swift,” the 25-year-old second-string guard replied.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen her at any other games,” he added, apparently referring to Swift’s high-profile appearance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals earlier this year. “I guess she has a lot of things to do, so she can’t come all the time, but it’s a bit performative.” (McBride is not innocent here – he responded, “I agree,” but astutely continued, “The Swiftties won’t like that answer.”)
After the clip went viral, the Knicks attempted damage control by releasing a statement establishing the organization as pro-Swift. “Taylor Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden and we greatly appreciate her support of the organization.” According to “The Athletic,” players also blasted his music in the locker room Friday and Saturday, likely in an attempt to ward off some of the ticked-off Swifties.
A few days later, Kolek came to his senses. Speaking to “The Athletic” after the Knicks’ game against Cleveland on Saturday night, Kolek admitted that he “wasn’t aware of my Taylor Swift Knicks fandom, so it’s my fault.” He added that since his comments went viral, he’s been inundated with photos proving Swift’s allegiance to the team. “It’s just a question that was asked to me that I may have answered wrong. I take it on the chin. But I love her music. We were playing it only five minutes ago, and I sing every word of every song. Nothing against her at all.” He said singing was captured by a teammate and shared across the internet, and let’s just say Kolek is no Troy Bolton.
In a final attempt to appease(?) the Swifties, Kolek posted a bunch of photos of himself on Instagram on Sunday with the caption “Tyler’s Version.” Something tells me it won’t do much good.
Gn entert
