Charles Barkley had a hilarious reaction to seeing Sydney Sweeney supporting the New York Knicks at Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Inside the NBA analyst didn’t hold back when Sydney Sweeney, who' is dating lifelong Knicks fan Scooter Braun, was shown on the Game 5 broadcast.
“Sydney Sweeney is here?” he asked incredulously, causing his coworkers to laugh. “Everybody is a New York Knicks fan now. Come on, man.”
The Knicks would go on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90, winning the Final series 4-1, and winning the team’s first NBA championship since 1973. NYC, understandably, erupted in chaotic celebrations after the game. Fans flooded the streets to rejoice and commemorate the moment, but also ended up causing their fair share of trouble.
According to ABC News, five school buses were set on fire or destroyed near Manhattan on June 14. The NYPD told Fox 5 New York that it made 63 arrests in total after the championship night, with 10 officers being injured, including one that got punched in the face, along with another who was allegedly struck with a glass bottle.
After the win, Knicks owner James Dolan urged Knicks fans to be safe while celebrating the win.
"We need to tell everybody in New York that we know that they're celebrating, we want them to have a great time," Dolan said. "Please be safe. Don't get hurt, don't hurt anybody ... We want everybody tonight in New York [to] be safe."
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani explained to Complex what he’ll be doing to commemorate the team for their achievement.
“The team is going to be presented [with] keys to the city on Thursday. It will be the first keys to the city that I've ever given out in our administration,” he said. “This team—they epitomize so much of what we love about the city: the relentless, the drive, the hustle. You look at them and their individual journeys. So many of them were overlooked. So many of them were counted out, and they're here.”
Sweeney is just one of many Hollywood celebrities who have hopped on the Knick bandwagon. Taylor Swift sat courtside for Game 4, and was seen embracing another new Knicks fan, Kylie Jenner, after the team’s historic win.
