Miles Teller will never forget the time T.J McConnell celebrated in his face, thanks to a surprise gift from Jimmy Fallon.
The Top Gun: Maverick star appeared on The Tonight Show this week, where Fallon presented him with a framed copy of the viral photograph showing Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell taunting him courtside.
The picture was taken during last season’s Knicks–Pacers playoff series at Madison Square Garden and became one of the funniest sporting moments of the year.
It captured McConnell flexing after a three-pointer while Teller, his wife Keleigh Sperry, Timothée Chalamet, and Kylie Jenner watched in stunned silence.
Miles Teller calls T.J McConnell taunt ‘great’
Teller laughed when Fallon revealed the framed photo, calling it “a great decorative piece.”
“I wanna hang it up in my house,” he said. “I think it’s great.”
He also explained that his blank expression during the game had been misunderstood.
“To be fair, I was filming a movie in New York. I’m not a Knicks fan, so I wasn’t taking it as to heart as it looks in that photo.”
Keleigh, he added, joked that McConnell’s celebration reminded her of their nephew playing youth basketball. Teller called the moment “classic” and said it was impossible not to laugh about it.
The snapshot came from Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals in May, when McConnell drilled a three-pointer and turned toward the star-studded front row.
Celebrities filled the arena, but none were more caught in the crossfire than Teller and his courtside crew. Their unamused faces quickly went viral as McConnell’s flex became a social media favourite.
The Knicks eventually won that game, yet the photo turned into one of the defining images of the series.
Months later, Fallon decided to give the viral clip a permanent home by framing it himself.
Teller accepted it with a smile, saying he appreciated the humour and planned to display it proudly.
