Donald Trump’s appearance at Monday night’s NBA Finals game made him the first sitting U.S. president to attend the event, but the historic visit was quickly overshadowed by loud boos when he appeared on the Madison Square Garden jumbotron.
The President attended Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, June 8, marking the first Finals game at Madison Square Garden in 27 years. Trump, a longtime Knicks fan and native New Yorker, was there at the invitation of team owner James Dolan.
Footage from inside the arena quickly spread across social media, with clips and eyewitness accounts describing a loud negative response from sections of the crowd. The reaction came during the national anthem, when Trump was shown on the arena’s video screens while standing in a suite and saluting.
According to reports from inside the Garden, chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” could be heard while Broadway singer Avery Wilson performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” before the mood shifted when Trump appeared on screen. The jeers reportedly stopped once the screens moved back to the American flag, while Knicks players drew cheers and mentions of the Spurs were met with boos from the home crowd.
However, Trump offered a different version of events after leaving New York.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday, June 9, the President described the night in positive terms and suggested the reception he received was largely favorable.
“I thought it was very good, it was certainly amazing, It was, I think, mostly cheers,” he said. “It was loud and it was very enthusiastic.”
Trump watched the game from Dolan’s private suite rather than courtside, joined by his granddaughter Kai Trump. Also reported to be with him during the game were adviser Boris Epshteyn and cabinet officials including Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy and Doug Burgum.
The President was seen speaking with Dolan during the first quarter and later with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Silver had said before the game that Trump had attended Knicks games and NBA drafts at Madison Square Garden long before his political career, adding that the league believed his appearance would be the first by a sitting president at an NBA Finals game.
The visit also brought major security changes around the arena. A large perimeter was set up around Madison Square Garden, with fans facing extra checkpoints and magnetometer screening before entering. Road closures and heavy police and Secret Service presence affected Midtown Manhattan, while some fans complained that the security restrictions disrupted the usual atmosphere outside the arena.
The White House appeared to lean into the moment online, with its rapid response account sharing footage from the game and later posting a photo of Trump at Madison Square Garden with the caption “King of New York.”
Critics, however, focused on both the boos and photos from the game that appeared to show the President with his eyes closed and his posture relaxed. The images quickly circulated online, prompting jokes from opponents and commentators who claimed he looked as though he had fallen asleep during part of the game.
On the court, the Knicks were beaten 111-115 by the Spurs, a result that ended their 13-game postseason winning streak and cut New York’s NBA Finals series lead to 2-1. Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists, helping the Spurs avoid falling into a 3-0 hole.
The loss also prompted renewed joking from critics who claimed the team had been hit by the so-called ‘Donald Trump curse’.
The phrase has been used by detractors to mock Trump’s record when attending major sporting events. Recent examples cited by critics include the Washington Commanders’ 44-22 home loss to the Detroit Lions while Trump was in attendance, Europe defeating the United States at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, and the Kansas City Chiefs losing to the Philadelphia Eagles at the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans after Trump attended.
To be fair, Trump’s presence has not always coincided with a home-team loss. The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 9-3 while he attended a game in September 2025, and Navy defeated Army 17-16 at the Army-Navy game in Baltimore later that year.
Still, the Knicks result gave the online joke fresh momentum, especially because New York had entered Game 3 on one of the longest postseason winning streaks in NBA history. Game 4 was scheduled to remain at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, June 10, with Trump not expected to attend.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith was among those who argued that Trump’s attendance had brought bad luck to the Knicks, saying: “Our president showed up to New York City last night. And needless to say what I feared would happen, ended up happening.”
“The New York Knicks lost and obviously I’m blaming him, why am I blaming him ladies and gentlemen it’s very simple because the president disrupted our mojo.
“I’ve said this on many occasions over the last 24 hours and I’m saying it again. The man messed things up.”
Smith, a longtime Knicks fan, had warned before tipoff that Trump’s visit would create chaos around one of the franchise’s biggest home games in decades. After the loss, he doubled down on the claim, arguing on ESPN’s First Take that the President’s presence had changed the energy around the Garden.
Trump later responded with a sharp remark of his own, questioning whether Smith had the qualities needed for a presidential run.
“I think he’s a nice guy but you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ, I’m not sure Stephen A Smith has that.”
Smith then fired back on Tuesday, saying Trump’s comments “really, really made me laugh” and challenging the President over the insult.
The exchange added a political sideshow to what was already one of the most closely watched nights of the NBA season: the Knicks’ first home Finals game since 1999, a presidential appearance unlike any in league history, a loud Madison Square Garden crowd, and a loss that gave Trump’s critics another reason to claim he had disrupted New York’s momentum.