Even sports stars can be mistaken for who they are.
New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek found himself at the center of an unfortunate disturbance during the team's NBA Championship game on Thursday, June 18, when New York Police Department officers appeared to mistake him for a member of the mob.
Reporter for ESPN Kimberley A. Martin shared a video on X showing Kolek, 25, celebrating enthusiastically with fans along the parade route, stopping to high-five fans as he made his way through the festivities.
At one point, two officials approached the basketball player and were seen trying to remove him from the team's celebration.
In the video, Kolek could be seen reacting to the kerfuffle. He was seen trying to explain to the police that he was actually a Knicks player.
“Police think Tyler Kolek is a fan 😩 #alwaysknicks,” Martin captioned the post.
The moment quickly went viral, with fans making fun of the tragedy.
“Please get this man the Knicks roster!!! Put some respect in Tyler Kolek's name 😩,” one X user wrote in response to the clip.
Kolek, on the other hand, seemed to take the incident in stride. Speaking about the incident with X, he joked, “I swear bro 😂😂😂.”
Tyler Kolek.
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)The championship game featured a big celebration for the Knicks, who defeated the Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 on Saturday, June 13 to win their first championship since 1973.
A historic victory follows, the owner of the Knicks James Dolan he confirmed that his team received an invitation from the White House, where they are expected to meet President Donald Trump.
“We just received an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan confirmed during an interview with WFAN Sports Radio on Wednesday, June 17.
He added, “We still have to get the details.”
Taylor Swift knows both football and Aristotle, who is attending Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals. Swift, 36, was spotted at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday, June 10, to watch the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs. He came to the field preparing the home team well […]
In a previous interview, Dolan shared that he asked his team members to go the extra mile to get an “edge” in the sport, asking them to avoid sex.
“I was of the opinion that maybe you should cut out sex for the next 10 weeks,” Dolan said on the Monday, June 15, episode of the Knicks' “Roommates Show” podcast. Jalen Brunson again Josh Hart. “You don't have to stop sex for the next 10 weeks – but, like the Spartans, you know what the Spartans are? They denied themselves, right? To have a limit. Get a limit. “
He continued, “Go home, talk to your wives and tell them – don't tell them you don't have sex, don't tell them it was my plan – but let them. [to] know what this will be like, what your commitment will be like, and how they will have to sacrifice themselves.”
