Kelce defends 'classy' beer chug at Game 3 of Knicks-Cavaliers ECF

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce defends 'classy' beer chug at Game 3 of Knicks-Cavaliers ECF

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 27, 2026 1:49 PM ET

Did Taylor Swift give Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce the silent treatment on the ride home after he chugged a beer during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals?

Kelce and Swift, his fiancee, attended the game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 23. The Ohio native gulped down a cold one to hype the Cleveland crowd at the beginning of the fourth quarter. His swig must have embarrassed Swift, who covered her face while he was doing so. Hey, at least he didn't spill his beer on the court.

Travis Kelce defends viral beer chug

"It was a classy chug, Jason," Kelce told his brother on the "New Heights" podcast on Wednesday. "Didn't spill one drop. Didn't crush the can. I'm on hardwood floor of an NBA game, could've got messy. It was a smooth, classy chug to get the people going.

"We were down [expletive] 10 points. I'm trying to get some kind of [expletive] energy going in the building."

Travis Kelce chugging a beer on the sideline at Knicks-Cavs Game 3 pic.twitter.com/iagNao9EYh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 24, 2026

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The cheers for Kelce's beer chug soon quieted. The Cavaliers lost Game 3, 121-108. They then lost the series on Monday night in a 130-93 blowout at home. The Knicks will face the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, which begin June 3.

Kelce tipped his hat to the Knicks and said he enjoyed the game, even though the Cavs lost.

"Obviously, being a Cleveland sports fan all my life, getting Tay back to Cleveland and showing her my roots is something I love doing... It was tough to see them lose, but at the same time, man, it was just so fun to be in the building and feel the electricity in the building," Kelce said.

That said, did Swift enjoy the game as much as Kelce? More importantly, what did she think of the beer chug? She probably wouldn't describe it as "classy" or "smooth."

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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