SAN ANTONIO — There has been no announcement that President Donald Trump plans to attend an NBA Finals game at New York’s Madison Square Garden next week, though Commissioner Adam Silver hinted at Trump’s intentions Wednesday when he said sports remain something that unifies even in divided times.<\/p>\n
Silver, without saying Trump’s name, responded to a question about \u201cunique people\u201d coming to finals games in New York and how the league prepares for such events. The New York Post, citing anonymous sources, reported Wednesday that Garden officials have \u201cperformed security walkthroughs\u201d in anticipation of a Trump visit.<\/p>\n
Game 3 of the series is Monday in New York, Trump’s hometown. The series opened Wednesday in San Antonio, and Game 2 is there on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what\u2019s really so special about sports in our society \u2014 and it\u2019s a little bit of a clich\u00e9, but our increasingly divided society, and that goes to people who will be attending the first home game at Madison Square Garden \u2014 it truly brings people together,” Silver said. \u201cIt creates a sense of connectivity among people. It creates a sense of belonging, and I feel that every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
Trump is no stranger to major sporting events. He told reporters last week that Knicks<\/a> owner James Dolan invited him to the NBA Finals and that he would have gone to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals \u2014 but the Knicks needed only four games to win that series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/p>\n Trump called the Knicks’ return to the finals for the first time since 1999 \u201cgreat to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has routinely dropped in on prominent sporting events during his time in politics. He\u2019s taken in the College Football Playoff championship<\/a> and caught a prime-time NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets just days before the 2024 election.<\/a><\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n