“OG Anunoby So Aggressive”: Hollywood Star Ben Stiller Shows How Passionate He is For the Knicks

The last time the New York Knicks made consecutive postseason appearances, Ben Stiller was directing his fifth feature film, ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’. A decade later, the director of ‘Severance’ is enjoying a front-row seat to his hometown team’s resurgence.

Among the many reasons to play in New York — cultural capital, endorsement opportunities and of course, the ‘Mecca’ — a star-studded crowd is certainly in the ranks. Spike Lee is basically synonymous with the Knicks at this point and their roster of celebrities only grows from there.

Alicia Keys, 50 Cent, Chris Rock, Emmy Rossum, Jon Stewart and Olivia Wilde are among the most famous faces to frequently grace Madison Square Garden. Earlier this season, Anne Hathaway made headlines when OG Anunoby almost crashed into her while chasing a loose ball.

However, in the shadow of these names, Ben Stiller’s doesn’t often get the credit it deserves. As a New York native, the actor-turned-director has followed the Knickerbockers since the 1960s, citing Willis Reed as one of his favorite players growing up.

Along with the fanbase, Stiller weathered the rocky years under Phil Jackson and he’s relieved to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. “This team is sort of a combination of trades, and also homegrown talent, and watching that build has been really exciting,” Stiller told ESPN last year.

His excitement has been hard to miss as the 59-year-old frequently tweets about his Knicks, becoming a staple in their online community since 2020.

Like many, he shared his bittersweet reaction when the team parted ways with RJ Barrett last season. And like many, he has grown to appreciate the return from that trade.

With the Knicks in Sacramento last night, Stiller tuned in online to show his support for the team. Among the standouts in the 133-104 win was OG Anunoby, whose performance earned praise from the Emmy Award-winning director. “OG so aggressive in a great way,” he live-tweeted during the game.

Great would be an understatement in this case. Anunoby finished the night with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals, posting his fourth 20+ point performance in March.

Perhaps the British wing ran into Anne Hathaway again. After all, his near-collision with the actress in November spurred a similar six-game hot streak for OG and the Knicks.

Regardless, Stiller had more than one player to praise last night. The Knicks’ second-leading steal getter against the Kings, Mitchell Robinson, was also showered with love. “How great is it to see Mitchell Robinson out there,” Stiller tweeted.

The 26-year-old spent the first half of this season recovering from a left ankle injury that he incurred during the 2024 Playoffs. Last night marked just the fourth appearance of the season as Robinson has faced a long and tumultuous road to recovery.

Stiller is clearly delighted to have the 7-footer back in the lineup. We can expect to see him exuding this energy courtside during the Knicks’ third consecutive postseason run with the ‘Villanova Knicks’ and Ben Stiller will likely be courtside to witness it all.