Philadelphia-native Abdul Carter makes major admission on Knicks after Game 1 win against Celtics in NBA playoffs

Abdul Carter, who is from Philadelphia but was drafted by the New York Giants, appears to be taking his fandom to other teams.

Carter was a 76ers fan, but given he is now playing for a New York team, the pass rusher says he will be rooting for the Knicks. This comes after the Knicks upset the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"I think I'm turning into a Knicks fan. That game had me hype!! LFG New York!," Carter wrote on X.

The Knicks beat the Celtics 108-105 in OT to win Game 1 on the road.

Giants fans will be excited to see that Carter is now rooting for the other local teams, as he is embracing the city and culture.

New York selected Carter third overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was one of the most dominant pass rushers in college football throughout his career, as he was a focal point of the Penn State Nittany Lions' defense.

Last season, Carter recorded 43 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, and 4 pass defenses.

Abdul Carter plans to wreak havoc on defense for the Giants

Abdul Carter was the top pass rusher entering the 2025 NFL Draft, and there is plenty of hype on him entering the season.

Carter will team up with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux as the pass rushers. With those four, Carter expects them to have success and wreak havoc on the field.

"It's going to be dope just getting to know those guys as a person, getting to know them as men and then getting closer as teammates," Carter said on draft night, via the team website. "And then once we get on the field together, just wreak havoc."

Carter, meanwhile, was a leader at Penn State, and Giants general manager Joe Schoen expects Carter will be a leader and part of the culture.

Schoen thinks Carter will help reshape the identity and culture in the locker room, which will hopefully help the Giants be competitive in 2025.

"We were talking on the way down just in terms of adding dogs and a certain type of mentality," Schoen said after leaving the Draft Room... "You add another guy like that in the first round like Abdul Carter and the motor he plays with and the toughness and the violence, that can really help. And the identity question was mentioned. That can help develop an identity, those type of players, and the more of those guys that you can acquire, the more that can come to life."

New York has failed to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.