The NBA Finals is supposed to be a celebration of basketball, seven exhilarating games between the Eastern and Western Conference champions to decide the league champion, but sometimes there are things that attract more attention than the events on the court.
This year, the NBA Finals are being played between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, extending the NBA record of unique champions to eight different champions across eight consecutive seasons.
The Knicks began the series by winning two consecutive games, the first time a team has won two games to open the NBA Finals since 1995.
Interestingly, the series is a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals in which the Spurs won five games for their first NBA championship. The two sides also met in the 2025 NBA Cup championship game with the Knicks defeating the Spurs 124-113 to mark the first time that the two NBA Cup finalists would meet in that year's NBA Finals.
In the regular season, the two teams had a win apiece. However, the Knicks had one of the most dominant playoff performances in NBA history, entering the Finals with an impressive 11-game postseason winning streak, the third longest in the competition's history, and a record playoff victory margin of 19.4 points per game.
The New York side are attempting to end a 53-year championship drought, which is the fifth-longest in the NBA, but the Spurs won't make it easy for them and their youth could be an advantage. The Spurs are the second-youngest side in history to reach the NBA Finals with an average of 25.06, behind only the 1976-77 Trail Blazers with a 25.03 average.
Donald Trump Attended Game 3 of NBA Finals
Donald Trump at the NBA FinalsNathan Howard via Reuters Imagn Images
One of the teams does also have a famous fan in their midst. The US President, Donald Trump, is a lifelong Knicks fan, and he made an appearance at Game Three of the series on the 8th of June after being invited by the team's owner, James Dolan.
This made Trump the only sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, though, this historic moment didn't generate the warm welcome he may have been expecting.
As the camera panned towards him during the national anthem, loud boos could be heard around the venue. As the boos grew in volume, Trump could be seen saluting and smiling, seemingly unfazed. The cheers only resumed once the Knicks players could be seen on screen.
His arrival by car to the stadium was met by signs reading 'Nobody wants you here' and 'Trump must go.' The chants of 'USA, USA, USA' for the flag faded as soon as he could be seen, standing in a suite surrounded by thick glass. His appearance was also met with heightened security, comparable to the TSA-style check-ins at US airports, and the closure of areas five miles (eight kilometres) in each direction around Madison Square Garden, which wouldn't have endeared him to fans.
However, he has seemingly misinterpreted the poor reception he received as something of a more positive nature, believing the jeering fans were actually pleased to see him.
Donald Trump's Reaction to Boos at MSG
When asked about the reception from Knicks fans after the game, Trump said: "I thought it was great. I thought it was amazing, actually.
"You mean when they had the camera on me? I thought it was very good, it was certainly amazing."
He provided further confusion when he claimed: "I think it was mostly cheers. It was loud and it was very enthusiastic."
The Knicks fans are unlikely to share that opinion, and it provides another layer to Trump's dwindling popularity in the United States, with his appearances met with anger and derision.
Donald Trump
The 79-year-old has announced his intention to attend Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which will take place on the 11th of June in New York, though, it is unknown whether he'll face a better reception at the second time of asking.
It sets an uncomfortable tone for the football World Cup, which is due to take place in the US, Canada, and Mexico from the 11th of June to the 19th of July, with political tension clearly visible to international audiences.