Trump expects to attend NBA Finals as Knicks reach first in 27 years
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he anticipates attending at least one game of the NBA Finals after the New York Knicks secured their first Finals appearance since 1999. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on May 28, 2026, Trump confirmed he had received multiple invitations, including one from Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan, and described his attendance as likely.
"I think I'll be going to one of the games. I was invited by numerous people and Jim," Trump said. He noted he had originally planned to attend what would have been Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games before that fixture was needed. "I was going to go on Wednesday, but they closed it out very quickly," Trump said. He praised Dolan - "Jim Dolan's a great guy" - and called the Knicks "a great team," adding that their long-suffering fan base was "finally doing right."
New York swept Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals to advance, completing a postseason run through Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Cleveland in dominant fashion. According to the draft, the Knicks outscored those three opponents by a combined 262 points across 11 games - the largest such margin in NBA history over an equivalent span. The Finals are scheduled to begin in New York on Wednesday, June 4, 2026, with the Knicks facing either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs, whose Western Conference Finals series was still unresolved at the time of Trump's remarks.
Should Trump attend, it would extend a pattern of high-profile sports appearances during his administration, which has included visits to NFL games and UFC events. The NBA Finals open at Madison Square Garden, giving the Knicks home-court advantage for the series opener for the first time since their last Finals run ended in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.
