Fat Joe (center) attends Game Two between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 21, 2026, in New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Fat Joe is a courtside staple at Madison Square Garden, but was not afforded that same celebrity treatment away from home.
After flying to Cleveland for game four against the Cavaliers, the Bronx native claimed that Cavs team officials revoked the courtside seats he purchased for Monday night’s (May 25) Eastern Conference Finals game, which saw the Knicks complete the sweep and advance to the team’s first NBA Finals since 1999.
Joe made the revelation that the Cavaliers weren’t allowing Knicks fans to take up courtside seats at Rocket Arena during a Monday afternoon appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today.
“I wanna say to Cleveland, I have bad news. We had bought some courtside seats to the game and then, once they found out it was superfan Fat Joe, they was like, ‘I can’t sit courtside. New York Knicks fans can’t sit courtside,'” he explained.
Fat Joe and other superfans who made the trip to the Midwest — including Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan and Ben Stiller — were eventually accommodated to the second and third rows, which Fat Joe has referred to as the “Joe Budden seats” in the past, instead of being stuck with no tickets at all.
“Playoff courtside seating is governed by a specific agreement that prohibits the resale or transfer of tickets without approval,” a Cavaliers spokesperson told The New York Post. “All courtside ticket holders are required to comply with the terms of the single-game playoff agreement.”
Billboard has also reached out to the Cavs for comment.
Even without his usual courtside view, It was a celebratory night for Fat Joe, as the Knicks throttled the Cavs to complete the 4-0 sweep in a 37-point beatdown 130-93, extending the team’s playoff win-streak to 11 games.
Joey Crack even posted a photo as part of the Knicks postgame celebration, as he shared a photo to IG with Knicks chairman/owner James Dolan while holding the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy (the Larry Bird Trophy), which was awarded to Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks and Fat Joe will have some time off to figure out their travel plans as they await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Game one of the NBA Finals is slated for next Wednesday (June 3), and the Knicks will be on the road, so don’t be surprised to see Fat Joe and other members of celebrity row make the trip to OKC or San Antonio. The Knicks will look to end their half-century championship drought, as the franchise’s last title came in 1973.
