President Donald Trump will be in attendance at Madison Square Garden on Monday for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and his New York Knicks.
ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed the President’s plans, which had been mentioned by Trump as a possibility after the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Trump previously said he was invited to attend one of the upcoming games in New York by Knicks owner James Dolan. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also expected to attend the game, but stated he won’t be sitting with Trump. Typically, Mamdani has been seen in the nosebleed seats whenever he’s been at the Garden.
Security is expected to bolstered ahead of Game 3 with potentially longer lines for fans entering the building.
New York took a 1-0 series lead with a comeback win over the Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday night. Game 2 will tip-off on Friday at 8:30pm EST.
Mamdani has been enjoying the Knicks’ run as much as anyone. While New Yorkers have poured into the streets during their ongoing 12-game playoff winning streak, their Mayor playfully invited Spurs center Victor Wembanyama to a Monday hearing in the city.
‘I’m pleased to invite @Wemby to our second Commission on Government Efficiency hearing on Wednesday June 10th 5-8pm, where we’ll be asking the public for their thoughts on how government can run better,’ Mamdani wrote. ‘Would love to have you there for the whole time!’
That hearing is scheduled to end just as Game 3 of the Finals tips off at MSG.
Mamdani would certainly welcome the 7ft 5in reigning Defensive Player of the Year for the hearing, but his post was an obvious joke that seemed lost on a number of NBA fans.
‘Wemby is not a Knick, not a New Yorker, and not even an American,’ one irate fan wrote on X. ‘Wtf is this.’
MORE TO FOLLOW…
President Donald Trump will be in attendance at Madison Square Garden on Monday for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and his New York Knicks
Mamdani attended several Knicks games during their recent run, but not in the front row
While Trump could find his way to celebrity row, Mamdani is expected to be in the nosebleeds
