Howard Stern Reveals He Only Attends Knicks Games if Seated in the Front Row: 'First-Row Type Person'

Howard Stern, the iconic radio personality, has drawn a clear line regarding his attendance at New York Knicks games: it’s front row or nothing. The 71-year-old host, while not widely recognized as a diehard sports aficionado, has long voiced support for the Knicks and expressed his interest in their current playoff run.

The Knicks are currently locked in an intense battle in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the defending champion Boston Celtics, with a 3-2 series lead hanging in the balance. Yet, as the energy inside Madison Square Garden reaches fever pitch during this postseason, Stern’s participation in the crowd depends entirely on one non-negotiable condition — he must be seated in the highly coveted front row.

Stern was candid about his requirements on a recent episode of “The Howard Stern Show.” “You can tell your place in show business by where they place you at the Knicks game. The day they put me in the second row, I quit. Because I consider myself a first-row type person,” Stern stated. “I’m very aware of where they seat me, and it’s very important to me. If they said to me, ‘Look, you’re not gonna be in the first row,’ I’d turn around and leave. It would be embarrassing to me.”

While Stern is evidently intrigued by the idea of attending one of the Knicks’ crucial playoff matchups, he insisted that unless his specific request is granted, he will remain absent from the Garden’s electric environment.

• “I have tremendous interest, but I wouldn’t go. I’m very self-conscious. I wait for them to invite me,” Stern explained.
• “I don’t want to take advantage and I know everyone comes out of the woodwork for the Finals. I don’t want to be that guy. I prefer when the Knicks are dead last, then I don’t feel guilty taking the tickets because nobody wants to go.”

Despite his enthusiasm for the team, Stern expressed skepticism about the Knicks’ chances of advancing beyond the Celtics. “I still feel like the Knicks are gonna blow it. I get agita with that team,” he admitted, referencing the anxiety the Knicks often provoke among their supporters.

Boston managed a decisive win in Game 5—with a score of 127-105—even without star player Jayson Tatum, sidelined by an Achilles injury suffered in Game 4. The series is set to return to Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks have another opportunity to secure a spot in the conference finals for the first time since 2000. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Friday.

As the postseason drama continues, one thing remains certain: unless Howard Stern finds himself in his preferred front row seat, he’ll be following the Knicks’ journey from afar.