The New York Knicks are going back to the NBA Finals after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
New York ers have been dreaming of this for 27 years. It has finally arrived. Now, from A-list Hollywood celebrities to your average New Yorker – nobody wants to miss this historic moment for the world, not even the President of the United States, Donald Trump .
At a cabinet meeting, Trump expressed interest in attending the Finals to watch the Knicks, revealing his plans to reporters after receiving an invite from Knicks owner James Dolan. If he pushes through with his plans, Trump would make history as the first active U.S. president to ever watch an NBA Finals game in person.
"I think I'll be going to one of the games," the President said. "I was invited by numerous people, and [Dolan], and I think I'll be going."
Over the past decade, people have seen the Queens native as many things – a politician, a businessman, a media personality and the President of the U.S. Beyond those labels, however, he is also a hardcore sports enthusiast like many New Yorkers.
And his interest extends beyond basketball. In recent years, he has attended events such as Super Bowl LIX, the Daytona 500, the U.S. Open men's finals, the FIFA Club World Cup Final, and several UFC cards.
But now, Trump's focus has turned to the Knicks, who will make their first Finals appearance since 1999. He said he would have attended Game 5 of their series against Cleveland, but the Knicks finished them off in just four games.
"I was invited... I was going to go on Wednesday, but they closed it out very quickly," Trump said. "Boy, what a team. They win all their games. They really have some great players."
The last time the Knicks won the NBA championship was in 1973, when NBA legends, including Walt Frazier and Willis Reed, led the team past the Los Angeles Lakers . Since then, the team has made the Finals twice (1994 and 1999). The closest they came was last season, but they faltered against the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals.
"The Knicks have really... they really suffered for years," the President said, sending the room into laughter.
Trump showing up to support the Knicks would indeed be major news, but the question remains: do New York fans want to see him at Madison Square Garden?
Reactions online have been mostly mixed. Some expressed excitement with his plans, highlighting that a sitting president attending a Finals game would be good for the NBA and the storied franchise. However, the prevailing opinion is that they do not want to see the President courtside.
"Fans at the New York Knicks games will be a lot different from the ones at the UFC games Trump attends. He may not receive the applause he likes to get," one user wrote on X.
Some fans noted security concerns, especially since hell will break loose in New York City during that period. If they already celebrate like this after securing a Finals spot, what more if they go all the way? That would be a security nightmare for anyone, more so for someone as important as Trump.
Others simply don't want him to attend because they fear he might curse the tea, with one fan representing this collective sentiment in his post, saying "Please don't… I don't want bad karma for my Knicks."
Whatever Trump's decision may be, this just shows how rare it is for the Knicks to reach the Finals. Let's see if they can finally give the fans what they have been longing for 53 years.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
