Andrew Cuomo made headlines Wednesday night after going straight from the New York City mayoral debate to Madison Square Garden, where he was spotted watching the Knicks game and chatting with Carmelo Anthony. The timing raised eyebrows, as just hours earlier, a clip from the debate had gone viral showing Cuomo giving an unusual answer to a lighthearted question about whether he preferred the Jets or the Knicks.
The moment quickly took off on social media, and his sudden appearance at the game only fueled the buzz. Many viewed the move as a calculated effort to capitalize on the viral moment, showing Cuomo in a familiar New York setting, mingling with fans and public figures while trying to connect with voters more casually.
From Andrew Cuomo’s Viral Debate Moment To His MSG Appearance
Andrew Cuomo recently shared a post on X. In the photo attached to his post, Cuomo was seated courtside beside New York City Mayor Eric Adams, giving a thumbs-up to the camera. The image quickly gained traction, gathering over 3.1 million views within hours. The caption of the post read:
“Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) No better way to celebrate winning tonight’s debate than making it to the @nyknicks game in time for the 2nd half.”
Around the same time, the official New York Basketball account also shared a picture showing Cuomo with Carmelo Anthony backstage at Madison Square Garden, which was captioned as, “Melo with Cuomo at MSG.”
No better way to celebrate winning tonight’s debate than making it to the @nyknicks game in time for the 2nd half pic.twitter.com/6DG5SVG9CB
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) October 23, 2025
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During the final mayoral debate, Cuomo shared the stage with Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa. The discussion focused on key city issues such as housing, crime, and affordability.
Toward the end, the candidates were asked a casual question about which game they would rather attend, a Jets game or a Knicks game. To this, Cuomo’s unusual and slightly confusing response stood out immediately and prompting laughter in the audience. And as expected, it quickly became one of the debate’s most circulated clips online.
After the debate ended, Cuomo left the venue without attending the traditional press briefing and headed directly to Madison Square Garden for the Knicks’ season opener. Reporters from CBS New York and City & State confirmed that Mamdani and Sliwa stayed behind to answer media questions, while Cuomo made a visible public appearance instead.
Andrew Cuomo’s Journey From Law Student To New York Governor
Before reaching Albany’s top office, Cuomo’s journey traversed law school classrooms, legal practice, social initiatives, and federal administration under President Bill Clinton.
Born in Queens, New York, in 1957, Cuomo graduated from Fordham University in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree and earned his Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1982.
He launched his political career that same year by managing his father Mario Cuomo’s successful gubernatorial campaign, which introduced him to Albany’s political arena at a young age.
As a Fordham and Albany Law alumnus, he applied his legal knowledge early by working as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan before co-founding a law firm. His social awareness grew stronger in the late 1980s when he established the Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged (HELP), an organization dedicated to tackling homelessness in New York City.
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In the 1990s, Cuomo transitioned to public administration, joining the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He served first as Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development and later as HUD Secretary under President Clinton. His federal tenure was marked by housing reforms and anti-discrimination cases that cemented his national profile.
Returning to New York, Cuomo was elected as the state’s Attorney General in 2006 before becoming governor in 2011. His tenure included launching infrastructure projects like the Moynihan Train Hall and the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge, and passing one of the nation’s strictest gun control laws, the NY SAFE Act.
