'Too many superstars in New York City': How the Knicks compose 'Celebrity Row'
There exists, perhaps, no position in sports fandom more sought after than resting two sneakers on the hardwood floor at Madison Square Garden, "The World's Most Famous Arena," while the New York Knicks play basketball.
Sitting courtside in New York City is an experience sung about in Jay-Z tracks and emulated in Hollywood movies, and for that reason, when the basketball game in question is the NBA Finals, the experience can and will cost an ordinary fan unimaginable sums of money.
Just two seats courtside at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night went for $1 million in an auction fundraiser, according to Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., the management company behind the Knicks.
The catch is, many of the sneakers resting on Madison Square Garden’s legendary court, do not belong to ordinary fans: they belong instead to celebrities -- Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan and Tina Fey among them during the Knicks’ current playoff run alone -- who are invited to the game by agencies, brands, and in some cases, Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks themselves.
The sheer number of celebrities sitting courtside throughout the Knicks’ seasons over the years has earned the courtside seats, and the seats surrounding the court, the nickname "Celebrity Row."
"Since there's so many people sitting courtside, sometimes I don't even realize who's sitting behind me until I turn around and I photograph them and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh, it's Martha Stewart,'" Sarah Stier, a staff photographer for Getty Images who photographs Knicks regular season and playoff games, told ABC News.
Stier said she is generally aware of who is in the building before the game, thanks to a list of names provided by the team.
"It's the world's most famous arena for a reason," Stier said of the allure of Madison Square Garden, where she also photographs the New York Rangers and professional boxing. "Everything feels bigger there under those lights, no matter what sport it is... It all feels bigger there than it does when I go anywhere else."
Oftentimes the photographs stemming from "Celebrity Row" go viral, sparking internet chatter and pop culture interest. Stier said the number of celebrities at Knicks games requires additional preparation for photographers like herself, who have to study pop culture in addition to basketball ahead of games.
“It's my responsibility to be aware of what storylines might be, what they might look like,” Stier said. "I work in sports, I know a lot of athletes, but it takes a little extra research and investment for me to also be aware of whoever could be sitting courtside."
Joe Favorito, an independent sports media consultant who led communications for the Knicks from 2001 to 2008, explained to ABC News that much of the decision-making of who sits courtside is out of the Knicks’ control.
"The biggest misconception is that [Madison Square] Garden controls all the tickets around the court. They're actually not," Favorito said, adding that agencies, media companies, brands are among groups who control and distribute their own tickets to celebrities whom the public sees sitting courtside.
Then, there are the lucky few fans who have owned courtside, or court-surrounding, tickets around the floor. Famed actor Dustin Hoffman and director Spike Lee, stalwart New York Knicks fans, fit into this category, according to Favorito.
The NBA also has several courtside seats under their control, and then Madison Square Garden has a “small cadre” of courtside and court-adjacent seats that they distribute, according to Favorito.
Favorito walked through the unofficial understanding between celebrities and Madison Square Garden when those lucky few seats are offered.
"If you are a celebrity wanting to come and your representatives go through the process of doing that, there is, I don't want to say it's a payback, but there's an understanding," Favorito said, adding that the return may come in the form of charity event participation or cheering on the Knicks on the big screen during the game. “There's a little bit of an expectation of a quid pro quo for getting those seats.”
Favorito noted the Garden is always respectful of celebrities who prefer to stay off the screens if they vocalize that wish.
The vaunted seats come along with a few unwritten rules and expectations, Favorito explained.
“You can't walk in for game three of the playoffs wearing a San Antonio Spurs jersey," he said, calling the move "disrespectful."
"It makes your hosts look bad, and you don't want to make the host look bad,” he said. "It's a party."
Favorito said Knicks fidelity is key to prioritizing stars clamoring for tickets.
“Loyalty is tremendous,” Favorito added, saying that much is true for any of the teams who have played at Madison Square Garden.
"I think you see a lot of the favors that are done when the people who are coming back are people who've been there supporting the Garden and supporting their hometown team year after year after year after year,” he said.
ABC News reached out to Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. for comment.
Through the years, the lucky chosen celebrities have offered their best guess at how the selection process works.
"You don’t get something for nothing, and if it helps the Garden if they see someone of my celebrity status — however high or low that is — I’ll put on my best Armani suit and go out there," Liam Neeson told the New York Times in 2014.
Fat Joe, a courtside regular, opened up on his show “Joe and Jada” last year about the cutthroat nature of scoring floor seats.
"New York got a lot of stars, like celebrities, big time stars,” he said. “They ain’t just courtside. It’s too many. It’s too many superstars in New York City,” he said, explaining there’s simply not enough seats to accompany the star power
"The Kardashians is there, the Bad Bunnies is there, the Cardi Bs, the Stefons, the this ones, the that ones, 'Sopranos'... The Tina Feys… It's just too many stars in New York City," he said.
At Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, the star power was undeniable. The list of the names in attendance included Alex Rodriguez, Adrien Brody, Jon Stewart, Russell Wilson, Cardi B, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Eli Manning, Gayle King, Greta Gerwig and many more.
Stier shared that instead of getting starstruck, she is struck by how she sees celebrities acting just like any other diehard Knicks fans.
“When I see these people... sitting courtside getting so involved in the game, yelling at the refs, yelling at the players, that's the same thing a fan in the nosebleeds would do if they had the chance," Stier said. “You have these passionate people courtside, these passionate people in the highest level of the stadium; it really just brings all ages, all demographics, all walks of life together."
Popular Reads
ABC News Live