A devoted New York Knicks fan from Staten Island believes her late husband is still cheering on the team — and maybe even helping fuel its playoff run.
Beatrice Reilly-Jordon, a widow and longtime Knicks supporter, recently brought a small portion of her husband Dave’s ashes to Madison Square Garden, placing them on an empty seat beside her so he could, in her eyes, take in the game from above.
“She sprinkled a little on an empty seat next to her at Madison Square Garden recently, so he could enjoy the game with her, watching from heaven,” the couple’s daughter, Domonique, told The Post.
Domonique said her parents shared a deep love for the Knicks and that her mother sees Dave as a kind of good-luck presence for the team.
“He loved the Knicks so much and so does she,” Domonique said. “Like my mom says, he’s the angel on their shoulders.”
The family did not say which game Beatrice attended with Dave’s ashes, but they believe his spirit has been part of the Knicks’ surge as the team moves closer to ending its decades-long title drought.
Dave Jordan, a US Army veteran who later worked in health care, died of cancer in 2022, three months before his 69th birthday. Ever since, Reilly-Jordon, 61, leaves a special chair open for Dave when she watches games on TV.
âThereâs my chair, because you know, you always need a chair when a personâs not here,â she told the outlet.
The empty seat is a painful reminder of loss, but also a symbol of a love story death could not erase.
âIâm sorry my husband wonât be here, but heâs still here. Heâs in the Garden right now,â she added. âAnd heâs going to watch it with us.â
The Knicks weren’t just a favorite team for the couple. They were woven into the fabric of their marriage.
Nearly 40 years ago, when their romance was just beginning, MSG became the backdrop for countless memories.
âWe started off going to Knicks games together,â she recalled to the Staten Island-based paper. âHe said he never went to a Knicks game with anyone, did I want to go?
“And I said yes. It became our thing to go to the Garden.â
Then came the devastating diagnosis that changed everything.
As Dave’s health deteriorated, Beatrice stood by his side through every agonizing moment, caring for the man she loved as his condition worsened.
“It was beyond awful,” she said. “I took care of him the whole time. Fed him. We were together for more than 34 years.”
When Dave died on Dec. 18, 2022, the grief was so overwhelming, she couldn’t even bring herself to watch the team they had loved together for decades, and the TV stayed off.
But over time, the family’s heartbreak turned into determination.
Surrounded by three daughters and an enormous extended family of siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Beatrice’s loved ones refused to let her give up something that had meant so much to both her and Dave, according to the outlet.
âMy godbrothers said, âNo, you have to. You know Dave wants you to go see the Knicks. You canât stop doing what you normally do,” she said.
Eventually, the family bought her a ticket, recently sending her back to MSG for the first time since losing her husband.
What happened next became one of the most emotional moments of her life.
âAt the game, I brought my husbandâs ashes with me,â she told SILive. âAnd I was in section 224, and I sprinkled my husband, and I said, âDave, youâre here with me.â”
As Knicks fans dream of a long-awaited championship, Beatrice has a message for everyone watching the 2026 Finals.
“He’s right on top of them — an angel on their shoulders — and they’re going to do it this year,” she said.
