New York Knicks fans were among the loudest of any in their reaction to President Trump’s appearance at the NBA Finals on Monday night.
There was one hurdle that Trump supporters in the building seemingly had to overcome though — their fellow Knicks fans.
‘He’s a genuine Knicks fan.’
The president attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals amid heightened security at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with the hometown Knicks hosting the San Antonio Spurs.
When the president made his first appearance on the in-arena big screen, it looked like Trump being the first sitting POTUS to attend an NBA Finals was not going over well with fans. A mixture of jeers and boos chorused through the building as Trump was shown alongside his granddaughter Kai during the national anthem; both of them smirked at the reaction.
However, as the night went on, Trump seemed to gain a bit more favorability, especially when the New York Fire Department made its way onto the court for a presentation.
The crowd erupted into chants of “USA! USA!” as the president pumped his fist along with some of the patriots in attendance.
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The crowd seemed to cheer for the president later in the game when he was shown on-screen with Knicks owner James Dolan, but it is difficult to tell if the images of Trump shown on television were what garnered the reaction from fans.
Regardless of their support for the president, Knicks fans went home upset after their team lost 115-111, with the Spurs cutting into the Knicks’ series lead, which now sits at 2-1.
Chaos filled the streets after the game, and fights broke out despite a heavy NYPD presence. New Yorkers also seemed to target Spurs fans with violence, according to multiple videos posted on X. One younger male had his Spurs jersey ripped off of him, while an older man in a Spurs jersey was chased by a group of fans who were throwing objects at him.
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– YouTube
Before the game, there was plenty of contentiousness surrounding Trump’s appearance, with multiple New York Democrats questioning his support for the team.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said it wasn’t clear to him that Trump was a real fan, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) suggested Trump couldn’t name the “1993 championship team,” which is a strange reference as the Knicks did not win the Eastern Conference or the NBA Finals that year.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver cleared up some of the controversy in an interview with ESPN when he said Trump was invited to the game by the Knicks owner, and he even described the president as a “fixture at Madison Square Garden” in the past.
“Back in the old days, he had courtside seats. He was here all the time. He was at the draft. So he’s a genuine Knicks fan,” Silver stated.
Regarding Trump attending the game, the commissioner concluded, “I think we should be using sports to create more of a sense of community with people, not less.”
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