US President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026, becoming the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game [1, 2, 3]. Trump arrived in Manhattan by Marine One from his New Jersey golf club before traveling by motorcade to the arena [1, 2, 3].
He attended as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan, sitting in the owner’s box alongside Dolan, Trump's granddaughter Kai, and cabinet members including Sean Duffy, Doug Burgum, and Lee Zeldin [1, 2, 4, 5, 3]. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was also in attendance, having purchased his ticket independently from Madison Square Garden [1, 2, 6].
Security at Madison Square Garden was extremely tight. Authorities enforced road closures, 10-foot fences, a strict no-bag policy, airport-style security screening, and deployed a large force of Secret Service and NYPD officers [1, 7, 2, 4, 5, 3, 8]. Ticket holders were told to arrive at least two hours early to clear security, but many fans faced lines extending over two blocks and slow entry, which some said disrupted their experience and "killed the vibe" for Knicks fans [1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 6, 3, 8].
During the playing of the national anthem, fans booed loudly when Trump appeared on the arena’s large screens. Trump gave a salute on screen, prompting boos followed by applause when the Knicks players appeared [1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 11]. Outside, protesters held signs saying "Trump must go" and made rude gestures toward his motorcade [5, 3]. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump "makes it all about himself" and "should leave us alone" during what he called a rare joyous moment for New York City [5].
Knicks fans expressed frustration. Brooklyn resident Errol Ismail said, "I wish he wasn't here. He's not a real fan, and he's just making things awful. We've waited a lifetime for this, and he's made it about himself, like everything else." Joanne Cadden said, "He could have picked any other day. This night is for the fans. You're making people go away from the Garden. This wasn’t the time. This looks like prison." Anthony Pulley called the security "a damper on all the watch parties" but acknowledged that it was "pretty cool he wants to show up and be a part of it" [2, 4, 5].
The Knicks entered Game 3 leading the best-of-seven series 2-0 but lost to the Spurs 115-111, cutting their series lead to 2-1 [1, 7, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 6, 8]. No watch party was permitted outside Madison Square Garden for Game 3, a break from earlier playoff games [5, 8].
The next NBA Finals game is scheduled to continue the series as both teams vie for the championship.
