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| FILE - Actor Elliott Gould, left, joins Donald Trump, center, and Marla Maples at courtside during an NBA basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, in New York, March 6, 1991. (AP Photo/Steve Freeman, File) |
The New York Knicks are expecting quite a special guest as the team hosts the San Antonio Spurs with President Donald Trump hinting that he plans to attend Game 3 on Monday, June 8. Will Trump attend today’s NBA Finals game?
Nothing will be a certainty until Trump is spotted at the game, but all signs point to the president being at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks already announced increased security measures for Game 3 and have canceled the watch party outside Madison Square Garden out of precaution.
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani is also expected to attend the game, but will be in a different section of Madison Square Garden, per BBC. Trump revealed that Knicks owner James Dolan invited him to Game 3, and the president also left the door open to attending Game 4 as well.
“The answer is yes — he’s invited me, I’m going,” Trump noted on June 5, 2026, per The Hill. “I’ve been a Knicks fan for a long time and I’m also a Jim Dolan fan. …Maybe I’ll do both.”
Here’s what you need to know about Trump attending today’s Spurs-Knicks game.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Donald Trump: ‘I Was There at Many Knicks Games With Him in the Old Days’
NBA commissioner Adam Silver noted that Trump “was a big Knicks fan.” Silver added that Trump worked with the NBA on several commercials prior to transitioning from the business world to politics.
“Before he ever ran for office, he was a big Knicks fan,” Silver said of Trump, per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “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.”
Knicks Star Karl-Anthony Towns Has Been Critical of Donald Trump
Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is among the NBA players who have been critical of Trump. Back in 2017, Towns called out Trump for his response to the Charlottesville, Virginia, rally.
“I was shocked by how our President responded to Charlottesville,” Anthony wrote in an August 26, 2017, story for The Players’ Tribune titled, “There Are More of Us Than There Are of Them.” “Our President was given a layup: Denounce white supremacists. And he couldn’t … and wouldn’t. He missed … he missed badly.
“… It’s disheartening when our President doesn’t understand his words carry a tremendous amount of weight. It’s really hard to see our President refuse to stand up for what’s right — at a time when the country needs it. Especially for minorities.”
Donald Trump on Knicks: ‘I Don’t Think They’ve Lost a Playoff Game’
Trump praised the Knicks’ hot streak pondering whether New York has lost a playoff game. Ahead of Trump’s appearance, the Knicks have won 13 straight games and hold a 14-2 record in the postseason.
“I’ve been a Knick fan for a long time and I’m also a Jim Dolan fan,” Trump noted, per The Athletic. “He’s a nice guy, OK? He’s spent a long time wanting to win and he’s a competitive guy and he’s got a team that’s amazing. I don’t think they’ve lost a playoff game. Can you imagine that?”
- Jonathan Adams
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