Ben Stiller had a few words after Pat McAfee called him and star friends out during Game 4 of the Knicks-Pacers series — and he’s taking it all lightly.
The 59-year-old actor was courtside at the Eastern Conference Finals matchup in Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 27, alongside fellow New York Knicks fans Timothée Chalamet and Spike Lee. The trio was there to cheer on their team, even in the opposite team’s territory.
Pat McAfee, a former Indianapolis Colts player turned ESPN personality, opened the game with a loud and very pointed message. Taking the mic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, McAfee hyped up the Indiana crowd while calling out the celebrities supporting the Knicks.
“Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here,” McAfee shouted as the fans booed. “Let’s send these sons of b—— back to New York!”
After the game, which saw the Pacers beat the Knicks 130-121 to take a 3-1 series lead, Stiller responded online. Reacting to a video of McAfee’s comments, he wrote, “Yes. Weird. We were happy to be there and cheer our team and other than that Indy fans were awesome.” He also added the hopeful hashtag, “#KNICKSIN7.”
Ben Stiller/X
In a follow-up, Stiller shared more thoughts on McAfee’s jab, “It’s ok. He must be playing around – if it’s an actual point of view it seems a little anachronistic or cliche? Like we are ‘big city celebs’ and we shouldn’t be there in the heartland? Again, everyone we met was awesome and incredibly cool.”
Fans chimed in to let him know the boos were all in good fun. One user wrote, “They were all affectionate boos I promise you,” to which Stiller replied, “I actually felt that.”
Despite the Knicks’ loss and McAfee’s NSFW message, Stiller made it clear he wasn’t holding a grudge. “No bitterness at all Indy fans were amazing good win for you guys,” he wrote.
The Knicks will now need to win three straight games to stay alive in the series and keep their NBA Finals hopes alive.
