After getting thunderously booed at Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, President Donald Trump likely won’t be subjecting himself to potentially more hazing at Game 4.
“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,” NBA insider Shams Charania shared via X on Tuesday, June 9. “Trump, a lifelong Knicks fan, watched the majority of Game 3 from a suite.”
Before the Monday, June 8, game, Trump, 79, was shown on the big screens inside Madison Square Garden giving the military salute during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Trump was loudly booed by the capacity crowd, which also came across on ABC’s broadcast of the game.
Despite the obvious crowd disappointment, the president, perhaps unsurprisingly, heard things differently.
“It was, I think, mostly cheers,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One after the game. “It was loud and it was very enthusiastic.”
Chilly reception by the Knicks faithful aside, Trump became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Knicks in Game 3, 115-111, cutting New York’s lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1.
“He’s welcome to be here,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said during a pregame appearance on ESPN’s Inside the NBA. “I think what makes sports so special, especially when there’s so much that divides people, is it’s something that we have in common. We should look for those things that we have in common and build off that.”
Silver, 64, also addressed the massive security detail outside Madison Square Garden on Monday night, which included multiple city blocks shut down.
“Yes, there’s some inconvenience to the fans here, but looking around at the arena, it’s packed,” he said. “So people listened, they came early.”
Silver added, “I think we should be using sports to create more of a sense of community with people.”
The same sentiment wasn’t exactly shared by San Antonio Spurs star De’Aaron Fox, who pushed back against Trump’s Game 3 attendance.
“I think the president being here just makes it inconvenient on everybody else,” Fox, 28, told reporters before the game. “We got, obviously, more security. We gotta, like, send stuff early. I think our buses are a little earlier.”
He added, “We’re getting screened like it’s TSA. It’s a little inconvenient for the people that’s got to play, but it is what it is.”
