When it comes to the New York Knicks, lifelong fan and Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway has firmly cemented her status as the franchise’s ultimate good luck charm. The native New Yorker’s surreal connection to the team’s basketball fortunes has transitioned from a funny internet meme into a full-blown piece of sports lore, blending Hollywood prestige with Madison Square Garden fandom in the most unexpected ways.
The origin of this lighthearted sports superstition traces back to a pivotal moment in the NBA Playoffs. On April 20, the New York Knicks suffered a tough loss, dropping Game 2 of their postseason series against the Atlanta Hawks. Just a few weeks later, on May 1, Hathaway’s highly anticipated film “The Devil Wears Prada 2” premiered in theaters. The sequel featured a memorable scene where Hathaway’s iconic character casually chats up Knicks star player Karl-Anthony Towns during a lavish Hamptons soiree.
What followed next can only be described as sports magic. Buoyed, perhaps only in the realm of fan imagination, by Hathaway’s cinematic cameo alongside Towns, the Knicks embarked on a historic, unforgettable 13-game winning streak. The team’s dominant run refused to slow down, and they did not taste defeat again until Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 9—a game famously attended by Donald Trump. As the winning streak captured the imagination of the city, Hathaway—who has proudly supported her hometown team through decades of ups and downs—was jokingly credited for the dramatic shift in the franchise’s fortune by media outlets, sports commentators, and internet culture alike.
That playful crossover between the silver screen and hardwood fandom took center stage on Wednesday night when Hathaway appeared as a guest on “The Tonight Show” starring Jimmy Fallon. The actress was making the late-night rounds to promote her new erotic thriller “Verity,” but host Jimmy Fallon wasted no time steering the conversation toward the viral Knicks meme that had captivated sports and entertainment fans alike.
Recognizing her deep devotion to the orange and blue, Fallon brought out a special surprise for the star, who is currently five months pregnant. He presented her with an authentic, signed jersey belonging to none other than Knicks defensive standout and fan favorite OG Anunoby. Hathaway’s affinity for Anunoby is well-documented, stemming from a heart-stopping moment during a November 2024 game when the towering forward nearly crashed directly into Hathaway and her young son while diving wildly into the stands to chase down a loose ball.
Upon seeing the prized garment, Hathaway’s reaction was pure, unfiltered joy. “Are you serious? Oh my god!” she exclaimed, immediately abandoning any semblance of late-night talk show decorum to pull the jersey on right there on the couch.
The thoughtful gifts from the organization did not stop with the jersey. The Knicks also sent Hathaway a beautifully curated basket of gifts specifically tailored for her soon-to-arrive baby. Nestled inside the basket was a warm card bearing the message “All my best,” signed personally by Anunoby. Overjoyed by the gesture, Hathaway found herself thoroughly distracted from the interview. “I’m so excited about my jersey,” she beamed, playing affectionately with the fabric and examining the signature instead of answering Fallon’s subsequent interview questions, much to the amusement of the studio audience and the host.
Later on in the broadcast, Fallon subjected the visibly excited and pregnant actress to a notoriously punishing late-night segment called “Best Thing Ever.” The sadistic game forces guests into agonizingly difficult choices by pitting two of their most cherished things against one another, requiring them to pick a definitive favorite under pressure.
As the game progressed, Fallon dialed up the stakes to a humorous extreme. He asked Hathaway to make an impossible choice: Would she rather win another Academy Award—given that she is currently generating massive Oscar buzz and standing as a strong Best Supporting Actress frontrunner for her fiery, critically acclaimed performance in “The Odyssey”—or witness the New York Knicks capture another NBA championship?
The question visibly paralyzed the actress, triggering an immediate and intense internal debate. Stumbling over her words as she tried to process the monumental weight of the hypothetical scenario, Hathaway hesitated before giving her definitive answer.
“I… I… OK…,” Hathaway stammered, before finally choosing another Knicks title over individual Hollywood glory.
Attempting to articulate the sheer intensity of the moment, the actress confessed to the host and the viewing audience just how deeply the prompt had affected her physical state. “I’m actually, like, the way my nervous system is reacting to that choice is really intense,” she explained with a laugh, solidifying once and for all that her loyalty to the New York Knicks runs far deeper than Hollywood gold.
