Coach Admits He Was ‘Embarrassed’ to Approach Taylor Swift During NBA Finals

Natasha DyeFri, October 16, 2026 at 5:53 PM UTC

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John Calipari on May 20, 2026; Taylor Swift on June 10, 2026Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty; Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty -

Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari said he was too “embarrassed” to approach Taylor Swift at the Knicks game

“I was embarrassed to go up to her. She was talking to whoever she was talking to, Adam Sandler and his wife,” Calipari recalled during a recent podcast interview

Swift appeared “bubbly” at the game, but Calipari said he was “intimidated” by the music icon

Arkansas men’s college basketball coach John Calipari admitted he was too intimidated to introduce himself to Taylor Swift when he saw her at Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

During an appearance on the Eye on College Basketball podcast on Thursday, Oct. 15, Calipari, 67, recalled spotting Swift, 36, at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on June 11 — just weeks before she and Travis Kelce tied the knot at the same venue.

“I’m in the back corner just kind of watching, and Taylor Swift was there,” Calipari recalled before admitting, “I was embarrassed to go up to her. She was talking to whoever she was talking to, Adam Sandler and his wife.”

Taylor Swift at Game 4 of the NBA FinalsCredit: David Dow/NBAE/Getty

Calipari said he’s friendly with Sandler, who he described as a “down to earth superstar,” but the mutual connection didn’t give the coach the confidence to approach the popstar. “I did not go,” Calipari said on the podcast.

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“I was intimated, and she came up and was bubbly,” he recalled before showing viewers how he pretended to be “on the phone” while spotting Swift.

When asked if he can remember a time he was ever that starstruck, Calipari said he couldn’t. “I went up to President Obama, busted through people to shake his hand,” Calipari shared, adding that Obama “knew who” he was at the time.

Comedian Chris Rock was also in attendance, Calipari recalled, telling viewers he was “fine” going up to Rock, but “intimidated” to approach Swift.

The head coach also joked that he was “kinda disappointed” that he wasn’t invited to Swift and Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden on July 3, quipping, “but you know, things happen.”

Swift sat with pals Alana and Este Haim at the game in June as they cheered on the Knicks to a win, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “Stevie Knicks” on the front. The group was also joined by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”