President Donald Trump has confirmed his plans to be in attendance for upcoming NBA Finals matchups in New York after receiving an invitation from Knicks owner James Dolan.
When asked Thursday about attending the championship series featuring the Knicks versus the San Antonio Spurs, Trump responded: “The answer is yes. (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 acknowledged that having the president in attendance will necessitate additional security measures at Madison Square Garden, though he doesn’t expect it to take away from the games themselves.
“I am sure there will be announcements about coming early,” Silver commented, “but I think fans are very understanding of that. They recognize that it adds to the bigness of the event.”
Should Trump attend, he would make history as the first sitting president to watch the NBA Finals. The most recent sitting president to attend a regular-season NBA contest 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 noted. “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.”
Trump revealed that Dolan had previously offered him tickets to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals last month, but the Knicks completed a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers to reach their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
The Knicks are once again facing the Spurs, the same team they met in 1999. San Antonio won that series and is now working to deny New York their first championship since 1973.
New York captured a 105-95 victory over the host Spurs on Wednesday, extending their winning streak to 12 games. They have the opportunity to take a 2-0 series advantage on the road Friday in the best-of-seven format.
“(The Knicks) find a way to do it,” Trump said 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.”
Throughout his presidency, Trump has been a regular attendee at major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, U.S. Open tennis tournament, Ryder Cup and Daytona 500 across his two terms in office. Most recently, he attended a UFC event at Madison Square Garden in November 2024.
Trump’s connection to New York runs deep, having been a longtime resident, and he maintains relationships with both the franchise and Dolan, who also manages the venue and the NHL’s New York Rangers.
“Before he ever ran for office, he was a big Knicks fan,” Silver said regarding 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).
