On Monday night, it was pretty clear that fans jammed into Madison Square Garden were not happy that President Donald Trump was in attendance for Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks
and San Antonio Spurs
.
Trump arrived with a lot of fanfare before leaving the game in the second half. The Spurs ultimately defeated the Knicks 115-111 to cut the Knicks' series lead to 2-1.
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Kenyon Martin
Takes Shots at Knicks Owner James Dolan
New York fans booed Trump mercilessly at the Garden and at the team's watch party. While some are blaming Trump
for the Knicks' Game 3 loss, Kenyon Martin believes owner James Dolan deserves blame for creating the circus-like atmosphere.
Martin, who played two seasons for the Knicks during his 15-year NBA career, appeared on "Gil's Arena"
and made some pointed comments about Dolan.
"So, Knicks fans, y'all shouldn't be mad at the president. Y'all shouldn't have booed him. Y'all should have booed James Dolan for inviting him. Let's start there. It was an invitation," Martin said.
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"So, he didn't decide to pick up and come to the game. He was invited to the game. He could have declined, but he was invited by the man that owns that building and owns that team. So, this is another James Dolan fault right here. This is not on Trump for showing up; this is on the owner for inviting him."
Skip Bayless also got in a shot at Dolan, pointing out that he "inherited that team from his father."
Trump had initially hinted that he may attend Game 4 of the NBA Finals as well, but ESPN's Shams Charania reports
that the president is not expected to show up at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday "due to scheduling conflicts and obligations."
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On Wednesday night, the Knicks will have a chance to take a 3-1 lead before the two teams head back to Frost Bank Center for Game 5. Meanwhile, the Spurs will try to use their newfound momentum to even the series at 2-2.
Game 4 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday and it will air on ABC.
