President Donald Trump plans to attend an NBA Finals game — or two — next week in New York at the invitation of Knicks owner James Dolan.
“The answer is yes,” Trump said Thursday of attending the league championship series between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. “(Dolan) has invited me, and I’m going. I’ll be there. It could be Monday (for Game 3). Maybe I’ll do both (with Game 4 on Wednesday).”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the president’s attendance would require extra security at Madison Square Garden but would not otherwise distract from the event.
“I am sure there will be announcements about coming early,” Silver said, “but I think fans are very understanding of that. They recognize that it adds to the bigness of the event.”
Trump, who has attended other major sporting events, would be the first sitting president to attend the NBA Finals. The last sitting president to attend a regular-season NBA game was Barack Obama in 2015.
“I think sports in particular is something where we can emphasize what we have in common, not what pulls us apart,” Silver said. “It creates a sense of belonging. We’re seeing that in New York and I think President Trump is very much a New Yorker and I’m thrilled that yet another New Yorker wants to participate in the enthusiasm and the joy around this Knick team.”
Dolan had extended the offer for the president to attend Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, Trump said last month, but the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games to advance to their first NBA Finals since 1999.
New York’s opponent then and now is the Spurs, who won then and are attempting to prevent the Knicks from winning their first league title since 1973.
The Knicks defeated the host Spurs 105-95 on Wednesday for their 12th consecutive victory and can take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series on the road Friday.
“(The Knicks) find a way to do it,” Trump said on Thursday. “They’re really great, a great team. I’m happy for Jim (Dolan) because Jim has really been fighting hard to produce such a team.”
Trump has attended multiple high-profile sporting events, including the Super Bowl, U.S. Open tennis tournament, Ryder Cup and Daytona 500, during his two presidential terms. In November 2024, he was present for a UFC event at Madison Square Garden.
Trump was a longtime New York resident and has other ties to the franchise and Dolan, who also oversees operations of the stadium and the NHL’s New York Rangers.
“Before he ever ran for office, he was a big Knicks fan,” Silver said of Trump. “I’ve been with the league for a long time. I was there at many Knicks games with him in the old days. He attended many of our drafts when they used to take place at Madison Square Garden, and he actually appeared in one of our ‘I love this Game’ spots when I was running NBA entertainment years ago” (in 2004).
–Field Level Media
