President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined legions of Knicks fans at a sold-out Madison Square Garden on Monday night as the city played host to an NBA Finals game for the first time in 27 years.
Trump was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers when he was shown in his suite on the Madison Square Garden video board.
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Jalen Brunson and the Knicks already have built a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven championship series against the Spurs, but those wins came on the road in San Antonio.
Now, with the Knicks riding a 13-game postseason winning streak, the party shifts to New York for Games 3 and 4. Buzz around the Knicks’ playoff run has reached a fever pitch in the city, with The New York Times calling it “an irrepressible froth of orange and blue excitement.” Brunson is the Knicks’ top star, but center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns and former Portland Trail Blazers guard Josh Hart also are key contributors.
Ticket prices for the next two games in New York were exorbitant. On Monday afternoon, the cheapest Game 3 seats on ticket resale site SeatGeek were listed at $6,351. They were well above that for Game 4 ($10,122) and a potential Game 6 ($11,418). Meanwhile, tickets to the potential Game 5 in San Antonio were going for a comparatively modest $1,758 apiece.
Trump’s appearance Monday meant extra layers of security. There was a no-bag policy imposed at Madison Square Garden. Fans were encouraged to arrive two hours early to make their way through security and to their seats ahead of the 5:30 p.m. Pacific tipoff time. A watch party outside of the arena was scrapped, and nearby streets were set to be closed off. Hundreds of Secret Service agents and New York Police Department officers were set to patrol the arena and its vicinity.
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New York Knicks fans wait for actor and comedian Druski, for an event which was canceled by NYPD, at Washington Square Park ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on June 8, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images)
Commentators Stephen A. Smith and Ann Coulter each slammed Trump for attending the game because of the traffic gridlock it was sure to create. Both called Trump “selfish” and “narcissistic” over the move.
Trump is the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. The Knicks have not won the NBA title since 1973.
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