President Donald Trump watches Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 8, 2026.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump was booed at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Monday night before the start of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the home team, the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, the Knicks lost Game 1 of the Finals, 115-111.
The loss ended the Knicks’ playoff winning streak at 13 games, the second longest streak in NBA history.
Heavy booing began during the national anthem when President Trump was shown on the jumbotron with Knicks owner James Dolan in Dolan’s suite on the court.
The jeers turned to cheers as the jumbotron focused on Knicks star Jalen Brunson on the court.
Asked by a reporter afterwards what he thought about the reception he received from Knicks fans, Trump said: “I thought it was great. I mean, I actually thought it was amazing. You mean when they pointed their cameras at me?”
“I thought it was very good, yes, it was certainly great,” he said.
“It was mostly cheering. It was loud and very enthusiastic,” the president said.
President Trump said, “The game was great. Both teams played great. We all had a lot of fun. It was great to see so many talented players.”
The Knicks, who haven’t won an NBA title since 1973, had won both games against the Spurs in San Antonio and entered the game with a 2-0 lead in the series. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Garden.
President Trump’s presence at the game meant ticketed fans waited more than two hours after security to enter the famous arena in midtown Manhattan.
He became the first sitting US president to attend the NBA Finals.
On its way up FDR Drive from Lower Manhattan to the game venue, the president’s motorcade passed signs that read “No one wants you here” and “Trump must go.”
Two other signs read “Impeach. Convict. Eliminate.”
As the motorcade arrived at the gardens, people standing along the street booed while others waved American flags.
Also in the suite with Trump were his granddaughter Kai, son-in-law Jared Kushner, Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Lee Zeldin, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, acting chief of staff Dan Scavino, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Trump’s valet and former criminal co-defendant Walt Nauta.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick sat courtside.
Celebrities attending the game included New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani, film director and Knicks superfan Spike Lee, actors Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet, and Law & Order co-stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni.
So did former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who fell into Knicks guard Jose Alvarado’s lap as he scrambled for a loose ball at the start of the fourth quarter.
A man spins a basketball on a flag near Madison Square Garden before Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on June 8, 2026 in New York City.
Adam Gray | Getty Images
Trump, a native of Queens, New York, first made a name for himself as a brash Manhattan real estate developer, but is now deeply unpopular in heavily Democratic New York City.
Republican Trump received fewer than 839,000 votes in the city in the 2024 presidential election, compared to more than 1.9 million for Democratic candidate and then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Last week’s news that President Trump planned to attend Game 3 drew derision from some Knicks fans. They were concerned that President Trump’s presence would disrupt the team’s rhythm, which is the second-longest undefeated playoff streak in NBA history.
The misfortune was compounded when game watch parties in the area surrounding MSG were canceled due to President Trump’s attendance, and the New York City Police Department set up an extensive security perimeter in the surrounding city blocks.
“Why does Donald Trump always have to ruin good things?” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top House Democrat, said on CNN on Friday.
“The Knicks haven’t been to the NBA Finals in 27 years. The city is trying to celebrate this, we’ve embraced this team, and this player has to give himself an injection,” Jeffries said.
But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” before the game and said President Trump “is welcome to be here.”
“I think what makes sports so special is that it gives us something in common, especially when there are so many things that divide people,” Silver said, according to ESPN.
“And we should look for common ground and develop it,” the commissioner said.
Mr. Silver visited Mr. Dolan’s suite during the game and was seen speaking with Mr. Trump.
Correction: Jose Alvarado is a guard for the New York Knicks. A previous version misspelled his name.
