Ben Stiller is a lot of things. Actor. Director. Funny guy. But right now, he’s pretty much just a Knicks fan with a camera and an HBO documentary to finish. And the news that New York locked up restricted free agent Mohamed Diarra on a multiyear extension? That got a genuine reaction out of him.
“Let’s go MO,” Stiller posted, with three raised fist emojis. That was it. Simple. Direct. The kind of thing you text your friend when your team makes a move you actually like.
Diarra is not a star. He’s a second-round pick from the 2025 NBA Draft, originally taken by the Los Angeles Clippers before getting traded to the Knicks. His rookie season was solid but quiet: 69 games played, seven starts, averaging 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in about nine minutes a night. He barely saw the floor in the playoffs — six games total. But there were flashes. His best night came against the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 29, when he dropped 18 points in 18 minutes and hit all four of his three-pointers. That kind of efficiency gets your attention.
This extension is a bet on potential. The Knicks clearly see something in him — enough to keep him around as they try to defend their 2026 championship. And yeah, that sentence is still wild to write. The Knicks, champions. For the first time since 1973. A 53-year drought ended in five games against the San Antonio Spurs, the same team that beat them in the 1999 Finals. Poetic, in a weird way.
Stiller was at most of those playoff games. He made the trip to San Antonio for Game 5. He was on the float during the championship parade a few days later, phone out, filming everything. He’s working on a documentary about the Knicks for HBO, and from the looks of it, he’s got plenty of material now.
Other celebrities made the trip too. Spike Lee, obviously. Timothée Chalamet showed up. But Stiller was the one capturing footage, talking to people, treating the whole thing like a film project he’s been waiting his whole life to make. He’s a native New Yorker. He’s been a fan forever. This is personal.
Jalen Brunson was the Finals MVP, averaging 32.6 points per game and putting up 45 in the clinching Game 5. That’s the headline. But the story underneath is about guys like Diarra — role players, young guys, guys who might not get minutes in a playoff series but who matter for the long haul. The Knicks are keeping their depth. Stiller is keeping his camera rolling. And if Diarra develops into something more, that “Let’s go MO” post is going to age really well.
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