The New York Knicks’ historic NBA Finals comeback has aged even better.
Just days after erasing a 29-point deficit against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks closed out the series in Game 5 to win its first NBA championship since 1973.
Amid the celebrations, one seemingly harmless comment from Taylor Swift, who came to support the Knicks, continued to generate laughs — particularly from FOX Sports analyst Nick Wright.
Nick Wright Says Taylor Swift Stole His ‘Never A Doubt’ Chiefs Catchphrase
Swift was seen celebrating at the Garden following the Knicks’ comeback win in Game 4. Later, she was asked on the red carpet at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony how the game was.
“Never a doubt,” she replied.
The phrase caught the attention of Wright, who has spent years using “#NeverADoubt” as part of his Kansas City Chiefs fandom during the Patrick Mahomes era.
Wright first took his case to social media.
“I don’t want no problems with the Swifties (who best I can tell, love me!) and I’m sure this is Taylor getting caught up in the Knicks excitement,” Wright wrote on X. “But, as the inventor of #NeverADoubt I do have to remind her that its usage in relation to sporting events is Chiefs exclusive!”
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Wright revisited the topic on FS1’s “First Things First”, where his co-hosts suggested Swift using the phrase could actually be viewed as a compliment.
Wright was willing to entertain that theory — to a point.
“It’s how I want to take it, and I don’t want to get on the wrong side of the Swifties,” he joked. Wright then floated a possible explanation for how Swift picked up the phrase in the first place.
“She probably heard Travis [Kelce] say it a bunch, thinks maybe he came up with it, doesn’t understand,” Wright said. The FOX Sports host then launched into a mock defense of what he considers one of his signature sports slogans.
“I mean, I invented the term. I tattooed it on my arm. My non-production company is called that. It’s my IP,” Wright claimed.
“It’s a famous phrase because of me. [Have] you heard a lot of ‘Never a doubt’ in relation to sporting events? Sporting events that were hugely in doubt and then someone being like, ‘Never a doubt.’? I invented that term. Everyone knows that.”
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Wright ultimately made it clear that while he has no issue with Swift personally, he still considers the slogan reserved for one team — the Chiefs.
“Again, Ms. Swift-Kelce, friends and family all involved, I’m not getting on the wrong side of you guys. But that’s my thing. And it’s for the Chiefs!”
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Wright’s co-host, Kevin Wildes, wanted to challenge Wright with a bit of fun. He brought receipts.
“When Nick came into my office, I Googled Taylor Swift, ‘Never a Doubt,’ to see how many times lyrically she has referenced it in songs,” Wildes said.
According to Wildes, he found one example in “Better Off,” an unreleased song Swift wrote in 2004 with songwriter Robert Ellis Orrall. The track was considered for her self-titled debut album before ultimately being left off the final tracklist.
In “Better Off,” Swift sings, “The moment we meet, there was never a doubt,” a lyric that predates both her relationship with Travis Kelce and Wright’s recent Chiefs-era use of the slogan.
The discovery gave Wildes an opening to flip Wright’s theory on its head. “Did you get it from Taylor Swift?” he joked. Wright had heard enough.
“Stop it!” he replied before bringing the debate to an abrupt end. “Move on!”