New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek has endorsed the idea of actor Timothée Chalamet portraying him in a future film, calling it “amazing” during an interview on the ESPYs red carpet at Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza on Wednesday.
The suggestion gained traction after Chalamet’s exuberant reaction to Kolek’s clutch three-pointer in Game 4 of the NBA Finals went viral. The Knicks secured their first championship in 53 years with the win over the San Antonio Spurs, and Chalamet, a courtside fixture at Madison Square Garden, was captured leaping from his seat and shouting, “White boys!”—a moment that sparked comparisons between the actor and the Knicks guard.
Kolek reflects on Knicks’ championship run
The Rhode Island native, who signed with the Knicks in 2024, attributed the team’s success to its cohesion. “I think it’s the way that we play together, the way we care for each other,” he said. “You see a lot of people worried about their individual stats. And I feel like our team just came together as one and accomplished the goal that we set our minds to.”
Kolek, who has 265,000 Instagram followers, also shared his plans to preserve mementos from the historic victory. “I gotta keep it … maybe frame a jersey. I got a ball from the Finals too,” he said. “Just keep that stuff for my kids, you know, for me later in life.”
Fan celebrations and future plans
Among his most vivid memories from the Finals run were the videos of fans celebrating outside Madison Square Garden. “All the videos outside that I saw of people rioting in the streets, going crazy,” he said, “those have definitely been my favorite.”
Since the championship, Kolek has balanced public appearances—including the ESPYs, Fanatics Fest, and the World Cup Final—with time away to “get some grounding.” His girlfriend, Alexi Sousa, joined him at the ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes.
