Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Recalls Being Too ‘Embarrassed’ to Talk to Taylor Swift at Knicks Game: ‘I Acted Like I Was on My Phone’

Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari says he was too embarrassed to approach Taylor Swift when they were seated near each other at a New York Knicks game. His story offers a light-hearted glimpse of how even a celebrated coach can feel starstruck around a global pop star.

Calipari recalled seeing Swift at Madison Square Garden during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, just a few feet away as she spoke with Adam Sandler and his wife. Although he knows Sandler, Calipari pretended to look at his phone instead of saying hello; he compared the moment with meeting Barack Obama, whose hand he had no hesitation shaking. Swift attended two Knicks games that year, and the article also notes that her song “Patient Zero” gave her a 16th career No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.