Fat Joe watched the Knicks demolish the Cavaliers 130-93 in Game 4 from the regular stands instead of courtside, and he’s still heated about it.
The Bronx legend revealed on ESPN’s “NBA Today” that Cleveland’s front office yanked his premium seats after discovering his allegiance to New York, forcing him to relocate to a less desirable section of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“We had bought some courtside tickets to the game and once they found out it was superfan Fat Joe, they was like, I can’t sit courtside,” he explained on the broadcast. “New York Knick fans can’t sit courtside. They took the tickets away courtside after we purchased it, so shame on you all.”
Fat Joe wasn’t alone in getting the boot. According to the New York Post, at least ten other Knicks supporters with courtside reservations received calls from Cavaliers executives informing them their premium seating had been revoked, though the team did relocate them to higher sections within the arena.
Podcast host Jason Calacanis jumped into the conversation on social media, claiming the Cavaliers had also blocked him from purchasing courtside seats in the first place.
He alleged that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert required all courtside ticketholders to sign a DocuSign agreement prohibiting ticket resale, with violators facing a lifetime ban from the organization.
The Cavaliers responded with a statement emphasizing their ticket policies.
“Playoff courtside seating is governed by a specific agreement that prohibits the resale or transfer of tickets without approval,” a team spokesperson told the Post. “All courtside ticket holders are required to comply with the terms of the single-game playoff agreement.”
This wasn’t the first time an NBA team tried keeping Knicks supporters out of their building during the postseason.
The Philadelphia 76ers attempted a similar strategy by restricting ticket sales to people with billing addresses in the greater Philadelphia area, but that effort collapsed when Knicks fans still managed to take over Xfinity Mobile Arena during both games in Philly.
Celebrity supporters like Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet, and Ben Stiller all made appearances courtside despite the restrictions.
The Knicks’ sweep of Cleveland marked their first Finals appearance since 1999, when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in a legendary matchup.
Now New York faces either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the Finals, with the Western Conference Finals currently tied 2-2.
The Thunder, the top seed in the West, bring elite perimeter defense and a dynamic backcourt, while the Spurs, the second seed, feature Victor Wembanyama’s versatility and a veteran core led by Gregg Popovich’s championship pedigree.