Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Even after their loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks are just two wins away from their first championship in over 50 years.
So it’s easy to understand why Knicks fans are pretty fired up. However, on multiple occasions during their current playoff run, Knicks fans have seemingly stepped over the line from joy to dangerous violence.
The first incident came after Game 1 of the second round against the Philadelphia 76ers, when Knicks fans swarmed former player J.R. Smith, knocking him to the ground.
“When I came out the Garden, my hotel was to the left, and I looked to the right and the big a– mob was right there,” Smith said of the incident. “I was just like, Man, I’m one with the people, so I’m like, Let’s see what this [is] about.
“As I’m walking over there, the closer I get, I keep realizing everybody’s noticing that I’m coming over there. So, every step I take, they’re getting louder. It’s getting loud. As I get closer, I’m like, Yeah, this probably [is] not as good [as I thought]. No bulls—, dog, as I’m thinking that s—, somebody 20 feet in front of me falls. And then that s— was a domino effect. It was inevitable.”
The latest incident, however, was even more egregious.
Group Of New York Knicks Fans Attack Spurs Fans Outside of MSG
Multiple videos from outside of Madison Square Garden on Monday night show large groups of Knicks fans surrounding and then attacking San Antonio Spurs fans.
In the first video, a group of New York fans sees a man walking away while wearing a Spurs jersey. They then appear to chase the man down and rip the jersey off his back while he attempts to flee.
Knicks fans are attacking any spurs fans they could find after game 3 loss pic.twitter.com/6UOYkB8YW9
— MCBN (@MCBNNEWSS) June 9, 2026
“This is absolute bulls—,” one poster on X said of the incident. “If this is how Knicks’ fans are going to handle losing, they don’t deserve to win. Hopefully, this was just an isolated incident.”
However, in a separate incident, an older gentleman wearing a Tim Duncan jersey attempts to evade a large crowd of Knicks fans, who then chase him down and harass him before he appears to escape.
A different video & completely different incident… Knicks fans attacking another Spurs fan for simply wearing a jersey…
Truly insane. When is the media going to jump all over this? There are countless examples. If this happened in Philly, the National Guard would be there ASAP pic.twitter.com/bA1oLXxdVK
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) June 9, 2026
“My favorite part (tongue in cheek) is that basically a ton of these people were like ‘I should film these guys attacking people for liking the other team.’ I mean, sure, but to do what?” asked another X user.
Ultimately, fan violence is not unique to any one city. But the atmosphere outside of Madison Square Garden is clearly extremely unsafe for visiting fans.