Knicks Fan Fat Joe Calls Out Cavaliers for Ticket Issue in Cleveland

The New York Knicks went on a ferocious tear through the competition in the NBA Playoffs, moving to just one win away from the NBA Finals.

They achieved an impressive winning streak, mostly in dominant fashion, steamrolling through the final games of their series against Atlanta and then sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers. On Monday, they had the opportunity to eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers in another sweep.

With Game 4 occurring in Cleveland, many of the Knicks’ celebrity superfans went to watch their team try to win this year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Among them were Spike Lee and actor Timothée Chalamet, as well as hip-hop star Fat Joe, who also revealed to ESPN a major issue he had with attending games in Cleveland.

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Fat Joe, who initially debuted in the early 1990s, rose to prominence with later hits like “Lean Back” and “All the Way Up.” He’s been among the celebrity fans often seen at Knicks games throughout the season and, more recently, in the NBA postseason.

However, the rapper had a major gripe with Cleveland about being able to sit courtside for Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I want to say to Cleveland. I have bad news. You know we bought some courtside tickets to the game, and once they found out it was superfan Fat Joe, they was like, ‘Can’t sit courtside. New York Knicks fans can’t sit courtside,” he said, stunning ESPN’s “NBA Today” crew.

‘They took the tickets away … so shame on you, Cleveland,” Fat Joe said, mentioning he’d be in the third row or a bit farther from the court than he usually is in New York.

The Knicks fans have been among the most visible in attending playoff games in support of their team. However, many of them have been through a lot of ups and downs with the franchise, with the team’s last championship in 1973, and last NBA Finals appearance in 1999.

This particular roster, which traded for Karl-Anthony Towns several seasons ago, has been on the verge of contending. With the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons and No. 2 seed Boston Celtics both eliminated, the door opened for this Knicks team to become the best team remaining in the Eastern Conference.

Their recent run has sparked increased enthusiasm as this team attempts to make history by returning to the championship round for the first time in 27 years. Interestingly enough, Joel Embiid also made remarks during the Knicks-76ers series about trying to stop New York’s fans from getting into games in Philly.

It would make sense that Fat Joe and other fans want to support their team by being close to the action. However, just being there in the crowd, visible in Cleveland for Game 4, seems like it should be enough to support the Knicks players, who have also become quite familiar with all their famous fans.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 7:38 PM.