Donald Trump indicated on Wednesday that he plans to attend this year's NBA finals after the New York Knicks clinched their place in the championship series earlier this week. The president, a New York native, has counted James Dolan, who owns the Knicks, the NHL's Rangers and Madison Square Garden, as a friend and a campaign donor in recent years. Trump said he had been invited to the finals by Dolan and 'numerous' others.
Trump's Comments on the Knicks
During a cabinet meeting, Trump told reporters, 'Jim Dolan's a great guy, he, as you know owns Madison Square Garden. He's having a good year. Boy, what a team. They won all their games. They really have some great players. I think I'll be going to one of the games, yeah. I was invited by numerous people and Jim, and I think I'll be going. Great to see. The Knicks have really, they've really suffered for years. They're doing right now very well.'
Background on the Series
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that, had the Eastern Conference finals series between the Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued, Trump planned to attend Game 5 on Wednesday in New York. The series instead finished in a sweep with the Knicks' 130-93 win in Game 4 on Monday night. The Knicks will play either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven-games finals. The Knicks are scheduled to play at home in Games 3, 4 and 6 of the series, pencilled in for 8, 10 and 16 June.
Trump's Sporting Event Appearances
Trump has made several appearances at sporting events since his reelection. Last year, he attended the Super Bowl, soccer's Club World Cup final, tennis's US Open, the Daytona 500 and golf's Ryder Cup. This year, he has attended several golf events and college football's national championship game. The White House lawn will stage a UFC fight card next month. Notably, a sitting president has never attended the NBA finals.
