Ben Stiller really, really loves the New York Knicks.
The actor is often seen taking in games in the Big Apple, hugging fans and getting in on the action while sitting courtside in Celebrity Row at Madison Square Garden. And nothing was going to stop Stiller from sharing his excitement when his beloved Knicks beat the Miami Heat in overtime Sunday. Not even the Oscars.
With his signature style of comedy, Stiller presented the award for Best Production Design at the Oscars, which were held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. But he still found the time to support his hometown team, authoring a now-viral tweet in the middle of the awards show.
He didn’t stop at one tweet, either, praising Knicks players OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson as the awards were ongoing. The pair put up 54 points in the victory in Miami.
The 59-year-old traces his fandom back to the 1970s, and once told ESPN that he clears his schedule whenever he’s in New York so that he can attend home games at Madison Square Garden. Most of Stiller’s contributions on X are about the Knicks, and his profile picture on the website is even the team’s logo.
“I guess it just became an outlet kind of, and like I said, it was kind of like, just an organic way of expressing myself,” Stiller told ESPN. “And then I started to engage with some of these fans because it’s just fun on that level, when it’s just about the game or about the team, and then you connect with these people who are as passionate.”