President Donald Trump says he has plans to attend an Finals game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he received an invitation from owner James Dolan, but he isn’t sure which game he will attend.
“I think I’ll be going to one of the games,” . “I was invited by numerous people and Jim [Dolan], and I think I’ll be going.”
The Knicks, after completing a four-game sweep of the on Monday, are in the Finals for the first time since 1999, but are still waiting to learn their opponent as the lead the 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals. Regardless of who emerges from the West, the Knicks will host Games 3 and 4 on June 8 and 10, respectively. Game 6, if the series gets that far, would also take place at Madison Square Garden, this time on June 16.
That gives Trump, a New York City native, three opportunities to attend a game. If he does attend, Trump would be the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. Trump has regularly attended major sporting events during his presidency, including the Playoff National Championship in Miami in January and LIX in New Orleans last year. Additionally, a next month.
Though a sitting president has never attended an NBA Finals game, former president Barack Obama has sat courtside for several NBA games, both while in office and after his two-term presidency. He attended Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals between the and . While in office, he attended a vs. game in 2009 and a season-opening meeting between the Bulls and Cavaliers in 2015.
Trump said he originally planned to attend Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Knicks needed only four games to advance past Cleveland.
“I was going to go on Wednesday but they closed it out very quickly,” Trump said. “… Boy, what a team, they’ve won all their games. They have some great players. … The Knicks have really suffered for years.”
The Knicks have been dominant throughout their run to the Finals. They’re currently on an 11-game win streak, dating back to Game 3 of their first-round series against the . They’ve outscored opponents by 262 points during that span, and their plus-19.4 point differential is the best mark of any team entering the NBA Finals.
