Ben Stiller Burned His Clothes to Break the Knicks’ 53-Year Curse — And It Worked

Ben Stiller has been a Knicks fan his whole life. But after Game 3 of the NBA Finals, he took fandom to a level most of us would call extreme — and maybe a little flammable.

Stiller was courtside at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night when the Knicks clinched their first NBA championship in 53 years, beating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5. It was the franchise’s third title overall, following the 1970 and 1973 dynasties. And for Stiller, a man who has worn his Knicks fandom like a second skin for decades, the emotional release was overwhelming.

When a reporter caught him outside the locker room after the final buzzer, Stiller didn’t hesitate: “As happy as I’ve ever felt. It’s pretty amazing.”

The actor and comedian has been a fixture at Knicks games all season — through the regular grind, the playoff runs, and the Finals. But after a gut-wrenching Game 3 loss in San Antonio, Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor, came home and did something that would make any superstitious sports fan nod in solemn approval.

“We came home after the last game and burned the clothes we were wearing,” Stiller said. “I’m not ever wearing that stupid final shirt that I was wearing.”

He added, “You wipe it clean.”

Not every garment got the torch treatment, though. Stiller admitted he kept a few items that “had good games with them.” But by his own count, the closet got a serious purge. “Otherwise, everything else, you start fresh,” he said.

Fans online were quick to embrace Stiller’s ritual. One self-described lifelong Nuggets fan wrote, “It was one of the best days of my life when they won, unexplainable feeling it’s just pure joy in that single moment.” Another fan, clearly leaning into the bit, quipped: “It was all Ben. He carried that team from his 70 points per game to his 80 percent free throw accuracy. He deserved the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy.”

While the Knicks are expected to hold a victory parade in Manhattan in the coming days, Stiller’s personal celebration is already off to a fiery start. For a fan base that has waited more than five decades to see their team climb back to the top, having one of Hollywood’s most famous Knicks diehards go to these lengths to will his team to a title feels like the perfect coda to an unforgettable season.