United States President Donald Trump, a longtime New Yorker, attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Madison Square Garden on Monday night after receiving an invitation from Knicks team owner James Dolan, and he left the possibility open that he could attend Wednesday night’s Game 4, as well. However, it sounds like that’s not going to happen.
According to a report from NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, Trump has decided not to attend Wednesday night’s game.
Trump Attended Game 3
Trump attended Monday night’s Game 3 showdown in Madison Square Garden, becoming the first sitting president in history to attend an NBA Finals Game. However, he did not receive a warm welcome from the crowd as he was loudly booed by the crowd when he was shown on the video board.
Despite the loud and obvious boos that were even heard on the broadcast, Trump claimed that he actually received a “great” reception from the crowd in attendance.
“I think great,” Trump said of the crowd’s reaction. “I thought it was amazing, actually.”
Trump claimed that he received “mostly cheers” from the crowd at the game.
“I thought it was very good,” Trump said. “It was certainly amazing. I think mostly cheers. It was loud. And it was very enthusiastic.”
Trump Will Not Attend Game 4
While Trump had previously indicated that there was a chance he could attend Game 4 in addition to Game 3, it sounds like that won’t be the case, after all.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Trump would not be attending Game 4 as a result of “scheduling conflicts and obligations.”
“President Donald Trump is not expected to attend Game 4 of Knicks-Spurs in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden due to scheduling conflicts and obligations, sources tell ESPN. Trump, a lifelong Knicks fan, watched the majority of Game 3 from a suite,” Charania wrote in a post on X.
‘Bad News for the Spurs’
After all the logistical issues created by Trump’s appearance at the game, coupled with the Knicks snapping their 13-game winning streak, many fans expressed delight at Trump’s decision to skip Wednesday’s game.
“Bad news for the Spurs,” one fan wrote in a post on X.
“Good. City was a nightmare last night,” someone else added.
“The ‘scheduling conflicts and obligations’ simply being not wanting to get booed by entire stadium again,” one fan joked.
“No Trump curse on my team anymore,” someone else added.
“We are back baby,” another fan wrote.
“Knicks are saved,” someone else commented.
We’ll have to see how the Knicks perform on Wednesday without Trump in the stands.