NBA commissioner Adam Silver is happy to see that President Donald Trump will be at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Trump confirmed with reporters at the White House on Thursday that he would make the trip to New York to see the Knicks play in their first NBA Finals home game at MSG since 1999.
The NBA commish said Trump would be “welcome” at the game and backed his credentials as a Knicks fan.
President Trump is attending NBA Finals Game 3 at Madison Garden. REUTERSDonald Trump, before he ever ran for office, he was a big Knicks fan,” Silver said, according to the Guardian. “I was there at many Knicks games with him in the old days. He attended many of our drafts when they used to take place at Madison Square Garden.”
Silver viewed the visit from the president as a chance to “emphasize what we have in common, not what pulls us apart.”
“We’re seeing that in New York, and I think President Trump is very much a New Yorker, and I’m thrilled that yet another New Yorker wants to participate in the enthusiasm and the joy around this Knick team,” Silver said.
The Post was the first to report that Trump would take in the game, and it would mark the fifth major sporting event in the New York area that he has attended since he took office for his second term in 2025.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver Getty ImagesIt will be the first time a sitting U.S. president has attended the NBA Finals during Silver’s tenure as commissioner.
As expected, there will be an additional layer of security at Madison Square Garden with the president in attendance, and it’s unclear how it will impact the usual jovial atmosphere outside the arena following a win.
Trump praised the Knicks while speaking at the White House and was impressed with the way they contained Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
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“I say, how do you guard this guy? He’s 7-foot-5 and he’s got a great shot, right? But they find a way to do it. They’re really great,” Trump said.
Fellow politico, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will also be attending Game 3, but told reporters on Thursday that he “will be in a very different section of the stadium.”
