"Shameless" starEmmy Rossum has proven her die-hard love of the New York Knicks, even beyond being a court-side fixture at Madison Square Garden home games.
The New York City native, 39, even watched a key 2021 Knicks playoff game while "fully in labor" with her first child.
During the Knicks' historic championship run last month, Rossum posted a throwback Instagram photo showing herself doubled over and dealing with contractions while watching the Knicks versus the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Speaking about her new Hulu series, "Furious" (streaming July 27), Rossum confirms to USA TODAY that the devoted fan tale and the photo are true.
"It's not fake. You can see my Mom in the picture," says Rossum. "I'm very dedicated.
And I also didn't want to go to the hospital too soon. I didn't want to be at the hospital too long."
The photo was snapped just before Rossum gave birth to her first childwith filmmaker Sam Esmail in May 2021. Her mother, Cheryl Rossum, was sitting next to Rossum, urging her daughter to head to the hospital for an epidural.
"Five years ago, I was fully in labor with my daughter, sweating over a yoga ball through contractions and refusing to go to the hospital until after the Knicks game," Rossum wrote in the post. "We lost 107-105, but I was not going to the hospital til that game was over-over! The Knicks love and commitment is REAL."
Rossum had not made her pregnancy public at the time. The Knicks may have lost that game in heartbreaking fashion, but the happy birth of her daughter, now 5, was a success.Her daughter was the first of two children, followed bya son born on April 5, 2023 (Rossum has not revealed the names of the children for privacy reasons).
The NYC kids are, of course, Knicks fans who are used to their mother attending games.
"I'm usually in jeans and flat shoes my whole life. But when I dress up to do just about anything, my daughter will ask me if I'm going to the basketball game," says Rossum. "She'll say, 'You look nice, are you going to the game?'"
Her son, however, doesn't get why mom doesn't just jump into the game.
"He doesn't understand why I would go to a basketball game and not play," says Rossum. "But he's three. My daughter definitely doesn't want me to play."
It was 'heartbreaking' to miss Knicks championship run
Of course it was Big Apple insanity when the Knicks won the 2026 NBA championship, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the NBA Finals last month to win the team's first title since 1973.
Rossum was working at night during the historic run, filming the movie "Rubber Hut" in Rhode Island.
"It was heartbreaking that I couldn't be there," says Rossum, who took over a World Cup party to watch the final game from a rooftop bar and celebrate. "It's been a long time coming. I don't know if I'll ever come down. Like I'm wearing all my Knicks merch. And that's not going away."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emmy Rossum was 'fully in labor' watching Knicks playoff game – 'It's not fake'
