President Trump Was Asked If He'll Be Attending The NBA Finals

President Donald Trump isn't considered an avid basketball fan, but apparently he's got the NBA Finals on his radar.

It was reported Tuesday night that Trump wanted to watch the New York Knicks take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Since he missed that opportunity, he could redeem himself by attending the NBA Finals.

"If the Knicks had lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday, Mr. Trump had planned to make a surprise appearance among the team's faithful at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, according to three people familiar with the planning," Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Tyler Pager of The New York Times said. "But after the Knicks completed a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, the president is turning to the NBA championship."

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Trump confirmed that he was planning on attending Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The president of the United States also said that he'll attend at least one game when the NBA Finals begins next week.

"I was invited - I was going to go on Wednesday, but they closed it out very quickly," Trump said. "Jim Dolan, as you know owns and is in charge of Madison Square Garden, is having a great year. What a team! I think I'll be going to one of their games."

The Knicks are looking to end their championship drought.

Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns are hoping to lead won the Knicks to their first championship since 1973.

"We can get out of any situation," Towns said during the Eastern Conference Finals. "Regardless if it's [a] 2-9 run in the season or if it's a [22]-point deficit in Game 1, as long as we continue to believe in the goal and continue to lean on each other."

The Knicks will have about a week to rest before they take on either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set to take place on June 3.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 2:28 PM.