Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images
The New York Knicks’ surprise run deep into the playoffs has been full of A-lister sightings on the floor seats of Madison Square Garden’s “Celebrity Row” — delightful glimpses of the rich and famous looking as thrilled and tormented as the rest of us. Look, there’s Larry David, characteristically agitated by a Tyrese Haliburton buzzer beater, or Timothée Chalamet freaking out with Ben Stiller over an unlikely bucket. Channeling the city’s hopes and dreams of a championship after a 52-year drought: Stars, they’re just like us!
But if the celebrity reactions are organic, their exact seating arrangement on the court is anything but. MSG and Knicks owner James Dolan himself apparently decides who gets to sit where — and when.
Insiders who formerly worked at the Garden or in celebrity concierge services in pro sports say that scheduling to fill Celebrity Row can begin about three weeks before game night. MSG staffers on the small team dealing with VIP clients will contact managers and agents, figuring out who is available for games. Generally, they will overbook to ensure a famous face is in the front row in case someone drops out. If everyone shows up, B-listers are ushered to other enviable seats that aren’t “feet on the floor.” And models can always be counted on to fill a spot at a late hour. “You would do those asks more last minute to fill in those holes,” says the former celebrity concierge. The team also takes care not to seat famous exes next to each other — an issue when, say, Pete Davidson is in the house. (This is a consideration that other franchises don’t always think of, like when Timothée Chalamet was seated just a few rows in front of his ex, Lily Rose-Depp, at a Los Angeles Lakers home game in the first round of the playoffs.)
All this planning can apparently change on game day with the snap of an executive finger. After the seating plot is seen by the heads of communications and celebrity relations, it goes to MSG’s micromanager-in-chief, James Dolan, who, I hear, tends to take a look a few hours before tip-off. “No one can go to their seats until he blesses every single game where people are sitting,” says the concierge.
The seats are free, but celebrity guests are reminded that they are being watched at all times — on TV, on the jumbotron, or by other fans — and advised to be on their best behavior. “There are definitely times where you have to have those awkward conversations and cut people off as well,” said the celeb concierge. A bartender might let a higher-up know that someone famous is getting visibly tipsy. “And we just handle things very subtly and discreetly and make sure that no one else is around if those conversations do have to happen,” the concierge said. (An MSG representative did not respond to a request for comment.)
If you’re a celebrity who wants in on these tickets, it helps to be flexible about which games you can attend. But come playoff time, “friends of the Garden” get priority. In exchange, these famous fans — think Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, John McEnroe, Bad Bunny, Fat Joe — are expected to wave to the camera and do some promo for MSG or its Garden of Dreams Foundation. On rare occasions, they are even called on to help recruit players to sign with the Knicks, like when the late James Gandolfini recorded a video in-character as Tony Soprano to sell to LeBron James on the tristate area. (James took his talents to South Beach.)
Before the game and at halftime, celebs are invited to the owner’s suite, where past caterers have included Jean-Georges and Tau. Front-row guests can’t linger too long; they’ve got to get on the court where the crowd can see their faces.
Over time, many of those faces change; Donald Trump and Diddy are not coming to games anymore for obvious reasons. One can also become un-friended by the Garden. In 2018, Dolan reportedly banned Woody Allen from Suite 200 — not for allegations of sexual abuse but because he refused to do promo. The same year, Ethan Hawke claimed he lost his front-row privileges after he doubted Dolan’s personnel decisions on a radio show. In 2023, Emily Ratajkowski was reportedly denied free seats after she and model Irina Shayk left a game in the fourth quarter just before a 21-point Knicks comeback. “She was offered, and is welcome, to buy great seats any time,” an MSG spokesperson told “Page Six” at the time.
Of course, true supporters don’t wait to see where the Garden will seat them. The MSG insider said Spike Lee, the greatest Knicks fan of all time, pays for his tickets. He can’t afford to be distracted by the seating games of celebrity row.
