Rachel Nichols said Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden reception reached a level she had not heard in the building for a long time.
Trump's Game 3 appearance had already been surrounded by noise before he was shown inside the arena. His arrival brought tighter security, canceled watch-party plans, long entry lines, and a crowd ready to react the moment the spotlight found him.
Earlier in the night, Trump's motorcade appeared to draw some cheers outside MSG. Inside the building, though, the reaction sounded very different once New York Knicks fans got their chance.
Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
Rachel Nichols on X described the reaction Donald Trump received inside Madison Square Garden during Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs .
"Louder than the boos for the Spurs, louder than any boos I've heard in this building in a while," Nichols tweeted.
That was a striking comparison because visiting teams have heard plenty inside MSG during this Finals run. For Nichols to place Trump's reception above the noise directed at the Spurs showed how forceful the moment sounded from inside the arena.
The reaction also cut through a night full of distractions. Game 3 already had presidential security, celebrity sightings, and historic Knicks stakes, but the crowd response to Trump quickly became one of the loudest side stories.
Trump received some cheers earlier when his motorcade arrived outside Madison Square Garden, but reports and in-arena clips later pointed to a much louder wave of boos once he was shown inside.
That contrast fits the strange build-up to the game. Some fans welcomed the spectacle, while others were already frustrated by security delays, traffic restrictions, and canceled outdoor watch-party plans tied to the visit.
Inside MSG, the negative reaction appeared to overwhelm the positive one. The boos were not just about politics; they also came during a night when Knicks fans wanted the focus on their team's first home NBA Finals game in 27 years.
Trump's presence was always going to create a reaction. According to Nichols, the sound inside the Garden made clear that the loudest part of it was not support.
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