Knicks Add New Security Measures For President Trump's Game 3 Appearance

Game 3 of the NBA Finals will be an historic night as President Donald Trump becomes the first sitting U.S. President to attend the Finals. Naturally, security around the President is going to be tight, so you might want to leave certain items at home.

On Saturday, the Knicks announced that there will be a strict "no-bag policy" in effect for Game 3. The team advised keeping all personal items "to an absolute minimum" while expecting "enhanced security measures" on the way into Madison Square Garden. That noticed included an advisory to try and arrive at least two hours before the game and to view the list of prohibited items on the Secret Service website.

"As we move closer to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night, Madison Square Garden and the United States Secret Service want to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all ticket holders by sharing important security procedures that will be in place," the team said.

"A strict no-bag policy will be in effect, and fans should make every effort to limit personal items to an absolute minimum. Fans should expect enhanced security measures when entering Madison Square Garden, including TSA-style screening procedures. Guests are strongly encouraged to arrive at least two hours before tip-off to allow additional time for screening and entry... There will be no storage available for prohibited items brought to the venue."

Outrage

As you could probably guess, between the insanely expensive tickets and the extra-insane wait that has now been added to the entry time just to get in the venue, fans are pretty pissed off right now:

"Fans now will be inconvenienced because our lovely President always needs to make things about himself," one fan angrily replied on X.

"This is an unnecessary disruption. Why can't he just let fans enjoy their home team without this ridiculous inconvenience? He will get booed like nobody ever has before," wrote another.

"I hope the sound of boos wake up the ancestors come Monday night," a third declared.

"Two hours arrival before tip off?? How many fans aren't going to get the notice and arrive an hour or 30 min before tip off like they usually do? There is a very real chance tip off happens and a sizable portion of the crowd is still going through security…"

The last remark might be more serious than the Knicks realize. If thousands - potentially tens of thousands - of fans are still stuck in line at security leading up to the game, there's a good chance that they're going to miss the start of the game.

If that happens, it could wind up costing the Knicks their early advantage at MSG.

And for over $10,000 a ticket, that simply won't be tolerated.

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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 9:15 PM.