All eyes are on the New York Knicks as the club takes on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. With it being the first championship home game in Madison Square Garden since 1999, all of the big-name celebrities showed up for Monday's contest, including U.S. President Donald Trump. While Trump has received some flak for causing inconvenience due to the upped security measures, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver welcomed him to MSG.
During the pregame show with Shaq, Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Draymond Green, Silver called President Trump a “genuine Knicks fan,” claiming that way back in the day, Trump would watch games courtside regularly. Silver followed that statement by saying he's happy to see sports being something that unites people.
“What makes sports so special, especially when there's so much that divides people, is it's something that we have in common,” said Silver. “We should look for those things we have in common and build off that.
“I've been with the league for a long time. I ran NBA Entertainment years ago, and [Donald Trump] did a ‘I Love Knicks' game spot with us,” claimed Silver. “He was a fixture at Madison Square Garden. He was here all the time. He's a genuine Knicks fan… We should be using sports to create more of a sense of community with people, not less.”
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Congressman Hakeem Jeffries criticized Donald Trump for attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Not only did Jeffries claim he didn't like how Trump was causing inconveniencies for other attending fans and players due to the upped security measures, but he also questioned Trump's fandom of the Knicks. Turns out, the sitting U.S. President has been a Knicks fan for a long time, which is easy to imagine considering Donald Trump grew up in New York City.
Just before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described President Trump as a “genuine Knicks fan.”
Earlier, Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) complained about Trump attending tonight’s game at MSG and questioned whether Trump was a real Knicks fan.
Hakeem was… pic.twitter.com/EXcAQpGo3r
— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) June 9, 2026
With Game 3 underway, it appears the arena was filled well before the start of the contest. While it may have been a slower process than usual with the TSA-like security lines, Madison Square Garden is packed to the brim to watch the Knicks and Spurs.
All eyes are on the New York Knicks as the club takes on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. With it being the first championship home game in Madison Square Garden since 1999, all of the big-name celebrities showed up for Monday's contest, including U. S. President Donald Trump.