“Kelly Who-Bre?”: Ben Stiller Fires Back at 28YO Star as Hostility Skyrockets Before Knicks-76ers Playoff Battle

With the 2024 playoffs right around the corner, things are starting to heat up. One of the most anticipated playoff matchups will be played between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks. And by the looks of it, a flashpoint has already ignited this fierce matchup into life. The Knicks fanbase is widely regarded as one of the most passionate in the league, and 76ers’ star Kelly Oubre’s recent comments seemed to have triggered them.

The first match of the 76ers vs Knicks series will be played at Madison Square Garden on 20th April. In a recent press conference, Kelly Oubre Jr. expressed his thoughts on playing at MSG. He said, “The fans are pretty crazy. They have a really good culture of being wild and loving basketball. The lights are super bright.” However, he accused the Knicks of giving out free tickets to celebrities who have no interest in basketball. He added, “They’re going to give celebrities those $100,000 free tickets just to be there and not care about the game.”

Kelly Oubre’s remarks about celebrity Knicks fans haven’t gone down well with the Knicks’ faithful. Many have defended fandom of celebrities like Tracy Morgan, Spike Lee, Chris Rock and many more. Ben Stiller has also come out and blasted Kelly Oubre for his ignorant remarks. Stiller wrote via his official X account, “Oh I think I care a lot more than you think that you thought I cared… Kelly Who-bre?”

Ben Stiller has been a die-hard Knicks fan since his childhood, and Kelly Oubre’s remarks certainly would have irked him. However, he was quick to defend himself and his fellow Knicks supporters. Stiller has used social media on multiple occasions to express his views on everything related to the Knicks.

Ben Stiller and his five decades of Knicks fandom

Ben Stiller began to follow the New York Knicks in the early 1970s, attending games with his late father, Jerry Stiller. He even witnessed the Knicks’ last title triumph in 1973. Stiller followed the Knicks so religiously that he had a poster of Willis Reed in his childhood bedroom. However, once he moved to Los Angeles in order for better career opportunities, Ben Stiller experienced a sense of detachment from the Knicks.

But old memories came flooding back when Ben Stiller returned to the Big Apple in the 2010s. Unfortunately, his return to the sidelines of MSG coincided with one of the worst periods in Knicks basketball. From the 2010-11 season to the 2019-20 season, the Knicks recorded just 316 victories out of 788 games.

Stiller has also started using X as an outlet to express his emotions as a fan. In an interview with ESPN, he said, “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. 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.” With the playoffs less than 12 hours away, Stiller will surely be at MSG, cheering for his beloved Knicks as they face off against the 76ers.