Donald Trump's ceaseless need for attention is wrecking the NBA Finals in New York

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NBA
Donald Trump’s ceaseless need for attention is wrecking the NBA Finals in New York

The whole city’s plans have been disrupted by one man.

by James Dator
Jun 8, 2026, 10:35 AM EDT
1515 Comments (All New)


WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 03: U.S. President Donald Trump displays a graph entitled “Our Pool is Bigger than Skyscrapers” as he speaks on his renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on June 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. The landmark is being painted as part of President Trump’s efforts to repair Washington D.C. in preparation for the Nation’s 250th birthday. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Getty Images

Donald Trump hates the NBA, but he loves attention. This has manifested itself by creating hell at Madison Square Garden for thousands of basketball fans in order to get some camera time, with Trump set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday night.

There is no shortage of receipts when it comes to Trump’s public disdain for the NBA. Trump rescinded his invite to the Warriors in 2017 after the team was hesitant about visiting the White House. In 2018, he preemptively banned both finals teams from the White House. In 2020, he was gleeful that the NBA had declining ratings. The same year, he mocked the low ratings of the NBA Finals and blamed them on LeBron James’ politics. In addition, he has joyously shared links to any article that seemingly spells trouble for the NBA, especially when it comes to TV ratings. This is par for the course when it comes to the president, who has done the same with the NFL when it comes to criticizing sports, yet when there’s an opportunity to get himself on camera via an invite from an owner, he’ll jump to it.

Knicks owner James Dolan, noted Trump supporter and shitty musician, invited the president to attend Game 3 of the Finals at Madison Square Garden. In doing so he’s displaced thousands of die-hard fans who love the NBA, and have supported the Knicks in spite of Dolan’s horrible ownership tenure.

With ticket prices soaring into the tens of thousands of dollars, one of the most popular events for Knicks fans have been watch parties outside Madison Square Garden. Those have been cancelled by the NYPD and Secret Service for Monday, citing security concerns with the president in attendance. In addition, fans who are actually attending the game will go through more rigorous “TSA-style” security screenings, which have resulted in fans being told to arrive two hours before tip-off, transforming the sporting event into an airport security line. That’s not all, as a ban on all bags is in effect as well — which includes clear bags typically allowed into NBA arenas. It’s unclear if the bag ban will also impact medication and childcare needs, which are typically allowed.

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