Donald Trump became the first president of the USA to watch an NBA final game in person when he attended the third game of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, Yankee Scores reports.
He arrived prior to the start of the game and met with Knicks’ owner James Dolan, his cabinet members and his granddaughter, Kai Trump, at his luxury box suite. His suite was surrounded by a protective glass that served as one of the added security features to enable him make this appearance.
President Trump was spotted chatting with New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan in his suite during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Trump, who became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, is taking in the action alongside family members… pic.twitter.com/fHcJZzcT5I
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 9, 2026
Wearing a dark suit and red tie, President Trump paid tribute to the country’s national anthem while standing up and saluting the flag but received a round of boos from the crowd who appeared on Madison Square Garden’s Jumbotron.
President Trump is in attendance for Game 3 in New York.
He’s the first sitting U.S. President to attend an NBA Finals game. pic.twitter.com/sHdRNArzUu
— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2026
“It was, I think, mostly cheers,” he told reporters after the game before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington. “It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.”
Trump did not leave until after the buzzer sounded, and the Spurs won 115-111.
While there has been some back-and-forth between Trump and popular basketball players, like LeBron James, on social media, the NBA commissioner Adam Silver described Trump as being a legitimate Knicks fan and as someone who was “welcome” to the most highly anticipated game since the Knicks made their last appearance in the NBA finals in 1999.
“What makes sports so special, especially when there’s so much that divides people, is that it’s something we have in common,” Silver told ESPN during a pregame interview. “We should look for those things we have in common and build off that.”
High-Security Appearance
Marine One conveyed President Trump from New Jersey to the area of Wall Street. The motorcade with President Trump landed close to an hour before the beginning of the match in MSG. Trump had some fans making obscene signs at him, and there was one fan group that had posters which said “Trump must leave.”
Marine One lands in New York City as President Trump arrives for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
Trump is attending the highly anticipated Knicks-Spurs matchup as New York hosts its first NBA Finals game in decades.
With the Knicks carrying a 2-0 series lead… pic.twitter.com/dg0V1iJtaq
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 8, 2026
All fans and employees needed either tickets or passes and were told to go through several checkpoints where they should go through the magnetometer when they entered. There were huge contingents of Secret Service agents and police officers at all corners of the arena outside.
The guard of Spurs, DeAaron Fox, said Monday that it was “inconvenient for everyone else” since Trump came because his team intended to come earlier than usual.
