President Donald Trump is considering attending the NBA Finals game between his hometown team, the New York Knicks, and the winner of the Thunder-Spurs game, three people familiar with the matter told the New York Times.
Trump, a longtime Knicks fan, would return to Madison Square Garden in June to watch the team play in the championship that fans have been hoping for since 1999, the last time the Knicks played in the NBA Finals.
If true, the NBA Finals would join the list of major sporting events Trump has taken time out of his schedule to attend since returning to the White House. Last year, the president attended the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, U.S. Open men’s finals, FIFA Club World Cup Final, the Ryder Cup and several Ultimate Fighting Championship events
While no official announcement has been made, the president had indicated earlier this month that he was following the team’s winning streak.
“Well, I am,” Trump told TalkRadio 77 when asked if he was still a fan of the Knicks. The president went on to express how impressed he was at the team winning against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment
Had the Knicks lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, the president would have made a surprise appearance at Madison Square Garden Wednesday, those familiar with the planning told the New York Times.
But since the team won 130-90 against the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday evening, the president is considering heading to the NBA championship.
Not only is Trump a fan of the New York Knicks, but he has a good relationship with James Dolan, the CEO and executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Sports, the company that owns the Knicks.
“I get along with Jim Dolan, and I think he’s a really nice guy, and he’s entitled to a good team because he’s suffered a little bit,” Trump told TalkRadio 77.
“I’m really happy for [Dolan] and for the team, I think it’s great,” Trump added.
While Trump is known to attend golf games and UFC fights as president, he is less likely to attend NBA games – though he has a long history of doing so.
Trump frequently took his family to NBA games in the 1990s and 2000s, before he became a politician.
Like Trump’s appearance at the Super Bowl, attending the NBA Finals would make him the first sitting president to attend the championship game.
Former President Barack Obama attended Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors in 2019, but he was already out of office. Former President George W. Bush attended Game 2 of the 1999 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs, though he was governor of Texas at the time.