May 4th 2001
The decisive Game 5 of the 2001 NBA Eastern Conference First Round between the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks took place on May 4, 2001.
The Raptors won the game 93–89 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, clinching the series 3–2 and securing their first-ever playoff series victory; advancing to the second round for the first time in franchise history.
Aaliyah is seen courtside along side boyfriend Damon Dash; they are seated next to actor Ben Stiller, actor David Duchovny (and actress wife Téa Leoni). You can tell Téa and Damon are Knicks fans because they both have that "Oh God please don't let them lose this game" prayer type look to their face in the last 8 minutes of the game. Listen - those two were ON EDGE!
When asked in a separate interview (years prior) what her favorite sport was, Aaliyah said “Basketball. I’m a Bulls fan and I love their colors; black, red and white. I get a lot of flak from my parents because they’re Knicks fans”.
Damon Dash is indeed a New York Knicks fan as well. This was highlighted during an episode of Club Shay Shay (Ep. 42 in the year of 2022), where Shannon Sharpe playfully teased Dash for being a fan of both the Knicks and the Raiders, jokingly questioning his choice of teams given their performance records .
Suppposedly after the game, Aaliyah and Dame were spotted at Club 501 in New York dancing the night away (photos shared towards the end of the footage).
I tried to look up details on if 501 still exists and if it was a club inside of Madison Square Garden or more external. As of today, there is no publicly available information confirming the existence of a nightclub named "Club 501" in New York City. It's possible that the venue has closed, rebranded, or operates under a different name as of today's date.
Video Footage from: @Aaliyah15VinceCarter who also credited @maximum_aaliyah Images at the end of the footage from AaliyahPL.
