Trump’s Surprise Appearance at Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals Game 3 Steals the Spotlight at Madison Square Garden

Amid heightened security at Madison Square Garden, President Trump made an appearance Monday night to witness his hometown team, the New York Knicks, compete against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. His presence marked a historic moment as he became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.

Seated in a suite alongside his granddaughter Kai Trump, the president was met with a mixed reception from the crowd. As the National Anthem played and his image appeared on the jumbotron, he saluted the NYPD officers carrying the American flag. Despite the solemn gesture, the response from the Knicks fans was a combination of boos and scattered cheers.

President Trump attended the game as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan. In the suite with him were EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

This game was a significant occasion for the Knicks, as it was the first time in 27 years that they hosted the NBA Finals on their home court. Leading the series 2-0, the Knicks were striving to capture their first NBA championship since 1973.

He attended as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan and was seen with EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in the suite.

The game is the first NBA Finals on the Knicks’ home court in 27 years. The Knicks, up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, are attempting to secure their first NBA championship since 1973. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and a host of celebrities — including Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Timothee Chalamet, Dave Chappelle, Larry David and Pete Davidson — were also at the game, though not sitting near Trump. 

“I actually think it’s pretty remarkable that you’ve got Trump and Mamdani in the same building tonight,” Lorenzo Caradonna, a 41-year-old Knicks fan from Hoboken, NJ, told The Post. “There aren’t many places left where people from completely different political universes are all focused on the same thing.” 

“For a few hours, everybody’s just a Knicks fan. That’s kind of refreshing.”

Raucous watch parties previously held outside MSG during the Knicks’ playoff run were moved to other parts of the city for Game 3, as the Secret Service and the NYPD set up a multi-block security perimeter around the arena ahead of Trump’s arrival. 

A strict no-bags policy for fans attending the game was announced ahead of Trump’s visit, and Secret Service screened anyone entering the arena with TSA-style magnetometers.  

Long lines wrapped around the building hours before tip-off. 

“The security situation was unbelievable,” David Rosen, a 47-year-old from the Upper East Side of Manhattan, said. 

“I understand why it had to be that way with Trump here, but it took forever to get inside,” Rosen continued. “Multiple checkpoints, long lines, restrictions on what you could bring in. 

“I’ve been coming to games for years and I’ve never seen it quite like that. By the time I got to my seat, I felt like I’d already worked a full day.”

Trump, a massive sports fan, has attended several major sporting events since the start of his second term, including Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the College Football Playoff National Championship in Miami, the men’s US Open tennis final in Queens and the Daytona 500 auto race in Florida. 

The president told The Post last month that he has been enthralled by the Knicks’ playoff run. 

“I was going to go [to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals], but they closed it out very quickly. They’re great, and Jim Dolan’s a great guy — he’s, as you know, owns and in charge of Madison Square Garden. He’s having a good year,” Trump said on May 27. 

“Boy, what a team! They win all their games,” he said of the Knicks. “They really have some great players.” 

Trump added, “The Knicks have really, they’ve really suffered for years and they’re doing right now very well.” 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), however, charged that Trump isn’t as big a Knicks fan as he is. 

“It also is not clear to me that Donald Trump is a big Knicks fan. I mean does this guy even know the difference between Karl Rove and Karl-Anthony Towns? I don’t think so,” the Brooklyn Democrat said at a Capitol Hill press conference, while wearing a Knicks hat. 

“He’s just injecting himself into the NBA Finals because he always has to bring the MAGA circus into town and that’s unfortunate,” Jeffries argued. Meanwhile, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said it was “cool” that Trump would be attending the game, but his team would “still get out there and play [no matter] who’s here and who’s not.”