Michael Hernandez
09 June 2026•Update: 09 June 2026
US President Donald Trump was met with repeated jeering as he became the first sitting American president to attend an NBA finals game on Monday.
Trump's attendance prompted authorities to impose a sweeping security perimeter around Madison Square Garden, shuttering roads to vehicular traffic and limiting pedestrian access to only ticket holders who were forced to make their way through just five checkpoints on their way to Game 3.
The discontent was palpable as Trump's motorcade solicited loud boos from onlookers as it neared the Garden. The jeers grew more thunderous inside the venue when he was shown on the jumbotron saluting in New York Knicks owner James Dolan's suite during the national anthem, prompting a loud chorus of "booo"s to emanate from the crowd.
Footage posted to social media showed that the scene was repeated outside the Garden during a watch party at nearby Bryant Park when throngs of Knicks supporters loudly booed the president when he was displayed on screen, with many vulgarly gesticulating.
The Knicks lost Game 3 115-111 to the San Antonio Spurs. They still lead the series 2-1. Game 4 will be held on Wednesday in New York.
