Knicks rewind: Celebrity row from 1999 to the 2026 NBA Finals

The New York Knicks return to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Monday, with a star-studded crowd expected in the Garden’s famed celebrity row. Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Spike Lee are among the diehard fans likely to be courtside, after earlier appearances alongside Fat Joe, Tracy Morgan and Shaquille O’Neal for the first two games.

This run is the Knicks’ first trip to the NBA Finals since June 1999, when courtside seats were similarly filled with A-listers. Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor were photographed arriving on June 23, 1999, while Adam Sandler, Alec Baldwin, Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Jason Patric and Christy Turlington were among those seen front row during that era.

Through the years the Garden has hosted a wide roster of celebrities: Madonna, Richard Gere, Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Brittany Murphy with Ashton Kutcher, Bill Murray, Lindsay Lohan, Heidi Klum, Ethan Hawke, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Penn and the Olsen twins have all been spotted courtside.

United States, New York City

knicks, nba finals, msg, celebrity row, timothee chalamet, ben stiller, spike lee, fat joe, shaquille o'neal, 1999 finals