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NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem prior
to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Trump was shown for several seconds giving a military salute. The boos ended when the U.S. flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited loud boos.
Trump was watching from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite, accompanied by his granddaughter Kai, personal adviser Boris Epshteyn, and Cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy, and Doug Burgum. He is the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.Trump’s Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way through Manhattan to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. During this journey, he encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs stating, “Trump must go.”
Upon arriving, he settled into Dolan's suite shortly afterward. Earlier in the day, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service had set up a large perimeter surrounding Madison Square Garden. Fans lined up to enter the arena more than four hours before tipoff, creating a scene reminiscent of New Year’s Eve in Times Square rather than the typical lead-up to a basketball game.
Attendees were required to present a ticket or pass to navigate through various checkpoints, along with undergoing screening through a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer. Secret Service personnel and police were positioned at every corner in large numbers, complicating movement for daily commuters, tourists, and fans alike.
Knicks fan Greg Weldon, who traveled from his new home in Florida for the game, noted that the primary inconvenience was the lack of information. He remarked, “We’ve asked so many cops, Secret Service, guys with machine guns, what to do, where should we go. Nobody knows.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown and Spurs counterpart Mitch Johnson downplayed any inconvenience caused by the closures and enhanced security due to Trump’s presence. Johnson stated, “There’s a lot going on, and I’d much rather be a part of it than not.”
With security measures heightened, a planned watch party outside the arena was canceled, and ticket holders were prohibited from bringing bags inside Madison Square Garden. Fans had previously gathered near the arena to watch games during the Knicks' playoff run, which saw the team win 13 games in a row to reach the finals for the first time since 1999, moving two victories away from their first NBA title since 1973.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch commented, “We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4. But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that generally means lockdowns of areas, and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”
This marks the latest major sporting event Trump has attended during his presidency, with security measures creating significant inconveniences for fans. Last year, thousands of attendees missed the start of the U.S. Open men’s singles final due to lengthy security lines, despite the U.S. Tennis Association delaying the match by a half-hour.
Federal law enforcement officials have reassessed Trump’s security following three incidents in the past two years, including a shooting at a 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the discovery of an armed man while Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida. Additionally, there was a recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson expressed a neutral sentiment about Trump's attendance, saying, “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play (no matter) who’s here and who’s not.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries were also present at the game. For Knicks fans, accessing Madison Square Garden was already challenging due to high ticket prices, with the lowest price exceeding the average monthly rent in New York, soaring over $5,000, while premium seats cost tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani noted he purchased his standing-room-only ticket for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.
The difficulty of attending the game in person led many fans to gather at bars, streets, and watch parties throughout the city. The watch party near the Garden had become a significant event during the playoffs, but with Trump attending, it was relocated a few blocks away outside the security perimeter to Bryant Park.
“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, a New York native. “We're New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”
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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
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