New York Knicks reserve Tyler Kolek had an awkward moment during the team’s championship parade on Thursday when police mistook him for a fan.
Kolek was celebrating by running down the barrier and high-fiving Knicks fans who had assembled for Thursday’s parade. He was not recognizable to at least a couple of police working security, however, who rushed in to stop him and looked ready to take him down. A team employee quickly stepped in to assure the cops that Kolek was, in fact, a member of the squad.
Cops mistook Tyler Kolek for a fan 😩 #alwaysknicks pic.twitter.com/7LxI29zahb
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) June 18, 2026
Kolek made light of the situation on X, jokingly posting “I swear I’m on the team bro!”
I swear I’m on the team bro 😂😂😂 https://t.co/7AJyNXAIfz
— Tyler Kolek (@tyler_kolek) June 18, 2026
Kolek was the Knicks’ second-round pick in 2024, and he did not exactly warm the end of the bench, either. He played in 62 games during the regular season and appeared in eight playoff games as well, though he averaged only 6.6 minutes per game in those postseason appearances. He does have some skills, though.
These sorts of embarrassing things do happen from time to time. However, one would not have expected this to happen in the middle of a championship parade, even if the player involved is a depth piece.
