The NBA Playoffs are moving right along and, as the New York Knicks compete in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, plenty of stars are rolling up for the games. On Saturday night, Game 3 of the series unfolded in Ohio, and A-list couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were amongst those in attendance. The broadcasting staff, of course, made note of the pair’s presence. Funny enough, though, the team seemingly did Swift “dirty” due to the way they specifically referred to her throughout the evening.
Game 3 was shown on ESPN and, at multiple times throughout the broadcast, the commentators highlighted Swift and Kelce. What was hilarious about that, though, was the fact that the team didn’t refer to the Grammy winner by name. Instead, they name-dropped Kelce and referred to Swift as either his “girlfriend” or his “fiancé.” Anyone who doesn’t believe me can check out the clips Brickcenter shared to X:
ESPN keeps doing Taylor Swift DIRTY 😭Mike Breen: "Travis Kelce and his fianceé here at the game"Richard Jefferson: "Travis Kelce and his girlfriend loving it!" pic.twitter.com/hKaCrUt6oaMay 24, 2026
Honestly, it feels like something as humorously ironic as this would only happen in a TV show or movie. I can’t help but laugh about it, though I also have to wonder why the broadcasters made it a point not to directly name Swift, whose albums have arguably defined a generation of music listeners. Regardless of the reasoning, plenty of fans took to the comment section of the post to share their two cents. And their opinions on the matter are mixed, to say the least:
- It's a sporting event. If they go to a concert, it can be ‘Taylor swift and her fianceé.’ - @SportsRJ
- ESPN can’t keep the story straight at all 😭💀 one says fiancée, the other says girlfriend like pick a lane bro😎😁😁 - @PrimeHoopsX
- More like Travis Kelce and his chaperone. Haha - @HenryImbriaco
- Tony Romo would never… - @MainStUSAFan
- If ABC was smart, they’d embrace Taylor being there, tweet it out, and get a few million Swifties to watch - @SugarSmith123
- It really is just tongue in cheek humor…we all know she is the most famous woman on the planet. - @3dirtyboyz
That last comment definitely aligns with my thinking, as the commentators could’ve been doing that intentionally, given Swift’s status as a high-profile public figure. With that assumption, it could’ve been just a case of the analysts having fun with Swift as opposed to jabbing her in any way. Whatever the case, Swift herself seemed to be quite chill as she took in the game, which ended with the Knicks beating the Cavs to take a 3-0 lead in the series.
Ironically, this situation came just shortly after Kelce shared some insight into his relationship with Swift. During a recent episode of his New Heights podcast, he spoke to Colin Jost, and the two empathized with each other over being the less famous person in their respective relationships. (Jost is, of course, married to box office titan Scarlett Johansson.)
Swift and Kelce’s relationship began dating in 2023 and, since then, the two have received considerable attention. Around August 2025, Kelce and Swift became engaged, with the latter confirming the news using a sweet social media post. There have since been reports about the couple’s wedding plans, though the stars themselves haven’t spoken about those details. Still, various rumors are swirling around their nuptials, with one alleged guest complaining about not being able to bring a plus one.
As for the pair’s joint appearances at sporting events, I’m curious as to whether they’ll shop up to any more basketball games, especially with the NBA Finals just around the corner. Should that happen, I’d be curious as to whether or not, the “Willow” singer would still get the “girlfriend” label. Maybe moving forward, the broadcast team will name Swift like at NFL games.
