Pat McAfee Called Out Timothée Chalamet And Other Celebrities During The NBA Playoffs, And Ben Stiller Took Offense

The 2025 NBA playoffs have been quite dramatic this year, as two storied rivals are battling for a chance to go to their first Finals in decades. The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers faced off in the latter's arena for a crucial Game 4 matchup, and the stars were there to witness it. Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee and Ben Stiller were among celebrities in attendance there to cheer on the Knicks, and Pacers fan Pat McAfee straight-up called them out when hyping up the crowd.

Weeks after I speculated he might be done with WWE, McAfee cut a promo in Gainbridge Fieldhouse that had the crowd fired up. The host of one of ESPN's hottest shows encouraged the crowd to boo the celebrity Knicks fans in attendance, and Ben Stiller wasn't too happy about being called out. Check out what Pat McAfee said, as well as Stiller's response below:

Ben Stiller is one of the few celebrities who is more than willing to interact with people on social media, whether it's about their love of Severance or to talk about the NBA. While the actor didn't explicitly say he was upset at Pat McAfee for what he did, I think calling the callout "weird" and making sure to point out that other Pacers fans were awesome spoke volumes about how he received the moment.

While the comedian received support from fellow New York Knicks fans, others were quick to call out that the moment didn't seem to be as malicious as he might've thought. Stiller did acknowledge the boos sent to him and other celebrities likely wasn't personal, but added an addendum. And we'll have to see holds up when the teams return to Madison Square Garden:

Ben Stiller's iconic movies remain celebrated, and he's also a great comedian. However, I think his love for New York might be blinding him a bit here. In fact, New York firefighter Hans Perez was in attendance at this very game thanks to Tyrese Haliburton after a video of Knicks fans throwing trash on him after a game went viral. Maybe a celebrity wouldn't call out other ones at a basketball game in New York, but that's not to say bad things haven't happened between both teams.

As for Pat McAfee, we'll have to see if he has anything to say back to Ben Stiller in regard to his show. Considering McAfee's status as one of the many commentators to grace the WWE over the years, I'll be eager to see if he leans into a potential feud.

As a wrestling fan very invested in all of this, I couldn't help but clock that Triple H was in the building last night, and he's worked with Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton before. If the WWE leans into a supposed feud between Pat McAfee and Ben Stiller, I think there's a chance we see a bizarre showdown between all four when SummerSlam is in East Rutherford, New Jersey, later this summer.

I'd be eager to stream that with a Peacock subscription, and maybe Trips has what it takes to bring all four together. This is all wishful thinking on my part, of course but, after that call-out at the NBA game, I can imagine such McAfee/Stiller showdown being a blast.

As for the Pacers and Knicks, they go head-to-head again on Thursday, May 29th at 8:00 p.m. ET amid the 2025 TV schedule. I think it'll be a must-watch game for those looking for some drama, and maybe we'll see Pat McAfee in the building for that game, where Ben Stiller could possibly get some sweet revenge.