President Donald Trump used social media to congratulate the New York Knicks after the franchise captured the NBA championship.
Trump, who was born in Queens, has long highlighted his New York roots. He attended Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, where he was met with a mixed — and at times hostile — reaction from the crowd.
That reception did not appear to dampen his enthusiasm. After the Knicks’ Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Trump posted a celebratory message on Truth Social praising the team’s postseason run.
“Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!! What a year it has been but, even more so, what incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four — maybe the greatest in the history of basketball,” he wrote.
Trump also singled out several of the team’s standout players, including NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
“Also, tonight, a superstar was born. His name is Jalen Brunson, and there are others, including Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and great Patriot, Mitchell Robinson!” he added.
The president received a hostile reception after heading to Madison Square Garden to watch his beloved Knicks lose Game 3.
The crowd erupted when Trump was shown on the jumbotron prior to tip-off, with the White House pool report noting that he was ‘thunderously booed’ by those in attendance.
Donald Trump took to social media to congratulate his hometown New York Knicks on their NBA Championship
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown celebrates after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the 2026 NBA Finals
However, after the game he claimed to have heard ‘mostly cheers’ from fans during the performance of the national anthem.
‘You mean when they had the camera on me?’ he responded when asked about the loud reception on the tarmac of John F Kennedy airport.
‘I thought it was very good, yeah. It was certainly amazing. It was, I think, mostly cheers.’
He added: ‘It was loud and it was very enthusiastic.’
Trump, a lifelong Knicks fan, called the game ‘fantastic’ despite his boyhood team’s defeat.
The city was a picture of pandemonium on Saturday night as thousands of its raucous citizens invaded the streets to celebrate the Knicks’ first NBA Championship in 53 years.
The Knicks completed a fairytale playoffs with the ultimate prize as they produced another epic comeback on the road to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in a dramatic Game 5 in front of a star-studded crowd that included even Prince Harry.
New York won the series 4-1, rallying from double-digit deficits in all four of those victories. The deficit was 16 on Saturday night but the Knicks were never fazed. And neither were their fans. No, they were crazed.
The president was given a brutal welcome by Knicks fans ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals
Back in New York, the city had become a sea of orange and blue as fans teemed into the area near the team’s Manhattan arena to watch on bar TVs and big screens for the historic moment. And, they were rewarded.
Fireworks shot off in New York within mere seconds of the final horn in San Antonio, sparking a celebration decades in the making.
Across the five boroughs, the Big Apple erupted into a cacophony of thunderous cries, car horns and sirens – the soundtrack to a championship.
Despite their team celebrating 1,800 miles away, New Yorkers arrived at Madison Square Garden in their droves, descending on the Knicks iconic home to throw the greatest garden party the city had ever witnessed.
NYPD officers in riot gear swiftly moved into action to control the wild masses unleashed on Manhattan’s Midtown.
Mayhem broke out as the jubilant supporters sparked chaotic scenes, a handful taking their celebrations too far.
A police vehicle was reportedly left heavily-damaged after crowds climbed on top of it near MSG, shattering its windshield.
Despite the pandemonium, the entirety of New York was floating in dreamland, some with their feet quite literally off the ground.
Trump gave a fist to the crowd after the ‘thunderous’ boos from the fervent home supporters
He was also seen sitting and speaking with Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan, whom he congratulated in his post
The ambitious in their midst were unable to stay grounded, clambering to the top of subway and train entrances at Penn Station. They inched perilously close to the edge as they jumped in raucous scenes.
Others took to the tops of yellow school buses or lampposts to obtain a better vantage point of the celebrations.
At other iconic landmarks throughout the city, New Yorkers painted Times Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park and the heart of Brooklyn in orange and blue.
Meanwhile, back in San Antonio, the Knicks’ celebrity cohort of fans were also left elated.
Unsurprisingly, Timothee Chalamet continued his passionate fandom, having made the journey down to Texas for Game 5.
The Marty Supreme actor has been courtside throughout the playoffs and Game 5 was no exception with Chalamet not missing out on the chance to see his beloved Knicks clinch the championship.
However, the Hollywood heartthrob’s girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, did not appear to have joined her beau for the clash.
Sydney Sweeney and boyfriend Scooter Braun stole the show as they found themselves front and center at Frost Bank Center.
New York City was a picture of pandemonium as the Knicks won the NBA Championship
In photos captured by Daily Mail, fans in Brooklyn were seen climbing on top of the city’s local buses as the celebrations ran riot througout all five boroughs of the city
The actress wore a unique Knicks jersey-style top with New York superstar Jalen Brunson’s No 11 splashed on the front.
The usual culprits, including Ben Stiller and Spike Lee, were also among the A-list names in attendance.
Prince Harry’s appearance came as a surprise to many fans, however, as he sat alongside NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
The royal, who attended without wife Meghan Markle, was reportedly invited to the game by Silver, as he is in town for the Warrior Games, according to Page Six.
The prince attended the game with JP Lane, an Army Veteran and Warrior Games athlete.
Jalen Brunson spearheaded the comeback, scoring 45 points, including 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter.
The captain could barely contain his tears as he choked up while emotionally declaring, ‘I have no words,’ during the postgame celebrations.
Brunson, fittingly, closed with a flourish. He set a Knicks record for points in a finals game; it had been 38 by Willis Reed against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the 1970 series. It now belongs to the left-handed point guard who changed the franchise’s fortunes when he arrived four years ago.
Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart – the other two parts of the ‘Nova Knicks’ trio that also includes Brunson, three players who were NCAA champions at Villanova and teamed up in New York to try to do the same – combined to score 27 points. Bridges had 14, Hart 13.
‘I don’t know what I’m feeling,’ Brunson said. ‘I’m in awe. Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.’
Dylan Harper scored 25 for the Spurs, who got 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots from Victor Wembanyama.
The Knicks improved to 4-0 in closeout opportunities this season, winning them all on the road. It didn’t feel like the road, though – not with thousands of New York faithful having made the trip to Texas to see a moment 53 years in the making.
