The real winners want to be here. They come to New York.
A president who once declared war on the NBA's politics will take his seat courtside at Madison Square Garden on June 8, accepting an invitation to watch the New York Knicks compete for a championship in the city that shaped him. The moment carries the quiet weight of contradiction — a man who called the league 'highly political' returning to the arena where, decades ago, he cheered without reservation. Whether it signals reconciliation, spectacle, or simply the pull of hometown loyalty, it places sport once again at the intersection of identity and power.
- A president who feuded publicly with NBA players, coaches, and the league itself is now set to attend the NBA Finals — a tension-laden reversal that no one in the arena will be able to ignore.
- Security preparations are already underway around Madison Square Garden, which sits atop one of Manhattan's busiest transit hubs, compressing the logistical demands of a championship game with those of a presidential visit.
- New York City's mayor confirmed he will also attend Game 3 — but pointedly announced he will sit in a different section, a small but deliberate act of civic distancing.
- Commissioner Adam Silver, without naming the president, invoked sport's power to unite a divided society — framing the night less as a political event and more as a test of that idea.
- The Knicks lead the series one game to none after defeating the Spurs in San Antonio, giving the Madison Square Garden crowd something to believe in as the spotlight grows larger.
President Trump will attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 8, sitting courtside as the New York Knicks host the San Antonio Spurs. The invitation came from Knicks owner James Dolan, a political donor, and was confirmed by the White House late Thursday. Law enforcement is already coordinating heightened security around the arena, which sits directly above Penn Station in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.
The visit is freighted with history. During his first term, Trump became one of the NBA's most prominent critics — attacking players who knelt during the national anthem, feuding bitterly with LeBron James on social media, and accusing coaches Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich of hypocrisy over their silence on China while speaking out on American injustice. The current Spurs star, Victor Wembanyama, has himself called Trump's immigration policies horrifying.
Yet the story of Trump and basketball is older and warmer than those conflicts suggest. Before politics, he was a genuine courtside presence — a New York businessman who attended Knicks playoff games for decades, participated in a 2010 recruiting video trying to lure LeBron James to the city, and congratulated the Miami Heat when James led them to a championship in 2012. He was even in the Garden for Game 3 of the 1994 Finals, watching the Knicks fall to the Houston Rockets.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed he too will be at the game, but made a point of noting he will occupy a very different section of the arena. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking without naming the president directly, offered a more conciliatory frame — describing sport as something that creates connectivity in an increasingly divided society. The Knicks enter the home game having already taken Game 1 in San Antonio, 105 to 95, giving the Madison Square Garden crowd every reason to believe the championship is within reach.
President Trump will sit courtside at Madison Square Garden on Monday, June 8, for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. The invitation came from Knicks owner James Dolan, who has contributed to Trump's political campaigns. It marks a return to the sport for the president—a native New Yorker who once counted himself among the league's enthusiasts, though his relationship with professional basketball has grown complicated in recent years.
The White House confirmed the attendance late Thursday. Game 1 of the series, played in San Antonio on Wednesday night, went to the Knicks, 105 to 95. Law enforcement officials are already coordinating heightened security measures for the event. Madison Square Garden sits in the middle of Midtown Manhattan, directly above Penn Station, one of the city's busiest transit hubs. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he also plans to attend Game 3, but made clear he will occupy a different section of the arena. "I will be in a very different section of the stadium," Mamdani said Thursday, "and we look forward to welcoming any New Yorker who is excited for the Knicks to win that championship."
Trump's attendance carries weight because of the distance he has traveled from his earlier stance on the NBA. During his first term as president, he became a vocal critic of the league. He attacked players who knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality, writing in September 2020 that "people are tired of watching the highly political @NBA." He engaged in a public feud with LeBron James, mocking him on social media and praising Michael Jordan instead. When James declined to attend a White House ceremony after the Golden State Warriors won the 2017 championship, Trump responded with insults, calling James a "bum" and suggesting the interview James gave to CNN's Don Lemon made him look intelligent, "which isn't easy to do."
Trump also criticized NBA coaches Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich for what he saw as hypocrisy—they spoke out against injustice in the United States but remained silent on China's record, he argued, after the Houston Rockets owner Daryl Morey expressed support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. The Spurs' current star, Victor Wembanyama, a French-born player, has been openly critical of Trump's immigration policies during his second term, calling them horrifying after the deaths of two civilians in January.
But this version of Trump's relationship with basketball is not the whole story. Before entering politics, he was a genuine fan. In 2012, he posted that as one of Miami's largest landowners, he was rooting for LeBron James and the Heat, and he congratulated them when they won the championship that year. He attended Game 3 of the 1994 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, watching the Knicks lose to the Houston Rockets. He was a regular at courtside for Knicks playoff games throughout his decades as a New York businessman. In 2010, he participated in a recruiting video organized by Dolan to try to convince James to sign with the Knicks. "The real winners of the world want to be here," Trump said in that video. "They come here, they want to come to New York. This is the place the real winners want to be."
Trump also supported the "Linsanity" phenomenon in 2012, when Knicks guard Jeremy Lin captured the city's attention. His last public comment about the Knicks came in December 2013, when he lamented their poor performance despite heavy spending. In May of this year, Trump told reporters he planned to attend Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Knicks swept that series in four games, making Game 5 unnecessary.
When asked Wednesday about how the NBA prepares for "unique people" attending championship games, Commissioner Adam Silver seemed to be addressing Trump's planned appearance without naming him directly. "What's really so special about sports in our society—and it's a little bit of a cliché—but our increasingly divided society—and that goes to people who will be attending the first home game at Madison Square Garden—it truly brings people together," Silver said. "It creates a sense of connectivity among people." Trump has attended several major sporting events during his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans and this year's College Football Playoff National Championship in Miami. The last sitting president to attend an NBA game was Barack Obama in 2015, when he watched the Chicago Bulls play the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Notable Quotes
I will be in a very different section of the stadium, and we look forward to welcoming any New Yorker who is excited for the Knicks to win that championship.— NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
What's really so special about sports in our society is that it truly brings people together. It creates a sense of connectivity among people.— NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that Trump is going to a basketball game? Isn't this just a president watching sports?
It matters because of what came before. He spent his first term attacking the league and its players. Now he's sitting courtside at the Finals. That's a shift worth understanding.
But he was a fan before he was president, right?
Exactly. He was courtside at Knicks games in the 1990s, he recruited LeBron James to New York in 2010, he called himself a fan. Then politics happened, and he became a critic. Now he's back.
So is this a reconciliation?
That's unclear. It could be. Or it could just be a New Yorker going home to watch his team in the Finals. The invitation came from someone who donates to him. The security is intense because of who he is. The mayor is going to sit somewhere else.
What about the Spurs player who criticized him?
Victor Wembanyama has been vocal about Trump's immigration policies. He called them horrifying. So there's real tension in the room—between a president who wants to watch basketball and players who have spoken against his policies.
Does the NBA want him there?
The commissioner's comments suggest they see it as an opportunity for unity. But that's diplomatic language. The truth is more complicated.