President Trump plans to hit Garden for NBA Finals as guest of Knicks owner

President Donald Trump plans to pull up a seat at Madison Square Garden during the NBA Finals as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan.

Trump said he was invited to attend Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals but New York ended the series in a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday before he had the chance to accept Dolan's invite for a game that would have been played Wednesday.

"Boy, what a team," Trump said at the White House during a break from a Cabinet meeting. "I think I'll be going to one of the games. Yeah, I was invited by numerous people."

The Knicks, in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, are awaiting the winner of the Western Conference finals. The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder have a 3-2 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven series with Game 6 to be played Thursday night.

The Western Conference champion will host the Knicks on June 3 and June 5. New York will host Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10 in the best-of-seven series.

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.

--Field Level Media