New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson took a minute to defend Monica McNutt from Taylor Swift and her “Swifties” after capturing his first NBA championship on Saturday.
The radio announcer was under fire for questioning Taylor Swift’s loyalty to the Knicks during Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
“I just want to say something to the Swifties. She’s [McNutt] a really good one. Cut her some slack. It’s all good. I promise,” the 2026 NBA Finals MVP said after leading the Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973.
During Game 4 of the NBA Finals, 880 ESPN NY’s McNutt seemed to suggest that Taylor Swift was a bandwagoner for attending a Knicks game, just a few weeks after she repped the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside her fiancé, Travis Kelce.
“Is that Taylor Swift? She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl,” McNutt could be heard saying in a hot-mic moment.
Taylor Swift – Knicks Controversy
McNutt would subsequently apologize to Swift and the Swifties — after learning about Swift being a fan of Amar’e Stoudemire for years.
“Swifties, I appreciate your passion. I said what I said and here’s the deal, if I’m wrong — and I am wrong apparently because we’ve got an OG Amar’e Stoudemire jersey. I misspoke, and I apologize,” she said in the lead up to Saturday’s Game 5.
McNutt added that she couldn’t discern that Swift’s “Stevie Knicks” shirt was her way of supporting the Knicks, as she had seen the pop star at a Cavaliers game recently.
“She didn’t have on any Knicks paraphernalia, so I did not know of her Knicks loyalty. But shoutout to T-Swift. We can be united in orange and blue, like, it’s fine,” she said.
Jalen Brunson, Knicks Make History
Jalen Brunson firmly established himself as an all-time Knicks great on Saturday. By scoring 45 points in a series-clincher, he joined Michael Jordan, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bob Pettit as only the fourth player to score 45 or more points in a closeout game in the NBA Finals.
“It’s everything we ever dreamed of,” Brunson said after his historic outing.
“It’s why I came to New York.”
The southpaw was admittedly speechless for a few seconds.
“Words can’t describe it but I’ll say I put a lot of time and effort into trying to be the best player I can be to try and help a team win,” Brunson said. “Just really thankful to have the organization, the coaching staff, my teammates, to have my back every single day. I think that means the most to me. And my family.”
The Knicks, who went 16-3 en route to the title, maintained a points-differential of +14.9 points in the playoffs — the best in NBA history.
Despite their dominant run, the Knicks have the fourth-shortest odds to go back-to-back next year, with oddsmakers showing more faith in the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics to win the 2027 NBA title.
Jalen Brunson Sends Blunt Message to Taylor Swift Fans After Knicks NBA TItle Win