President Trump confirms he will attend NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden, praises Victor Wembanyama

President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday he will attend an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden next week, which would make him the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game.

Trump acknowledged the possibility of attending last week when he revealed he had been invited by New York Knicks owner James Dolan to attend one of the team’s games against the San Antonio Spurs. When asked about the matter Thursday, Trump praised Dolan, the Knicks and Spurs star Victor Wembanyama before confirming he would attend:

“I’ve been a Knick fan for a long time, and I’m also a Jim Dolan fan. He’s a nice guy, OK? He 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?

It was not looking good. I saw the beginning of the game and it wasn’t looking good. I missed the middle because I talked to generals all night long, but I watched that end of the game and they were dominant. Really amazing. “Wemby’s a great player — he’s going to be a great player and he is already a great player. I say ‘How do you guard this guy? He’s 7-foot-5 and he’s got a great shot, right?’ But they find a way to do it. They’re a great team and I’m happy for Jim because Jim has been fighting hard to produce such a team, so yes, you never know.

“The answer is yes, he’s invited me and I’m going.”

Small clarification: The Knicks did lose two games in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks, but are now on a 12-game winning streak in which they’ve broken NBA records for scoring margin.

It remains to be seen what kind of reception Trump gets from the Knicks fans who can afford NBA Finals tickets.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump was subsequently asked which game he would attend and said Game 3 on Monday was a possibility, before joking he could go to Game 4 too:

“It could be Monday … maybe I’ll do both.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver welcomed the possibility a day earlier, via ESPN’s Ben Golliver:

“President Trump is very much a New Yorker. I’m thrilled another New Yorker wants to participate in the enthusiasm and the joy around this Knicks…

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Author : Jack Baer

Publish date : 2026-06-04 22:09:00

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