New York Knicks owner James Dolan says his team will become the first NBA champions to visit Donald Trump at the White House.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said during an appearance on WFAN New York on Wednesday. “We still have to figure out the details … but yes, of course. Look, I invited the president to come down for [last week’s Game 3 of the NBA finals]. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
The visit may not go down well with large sections of the Knicks fanbase. The president was greeted with boos and jeers when he appeared on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden at the start of Game 3. The reception was unsurprising: NBA fans skew liberal and the Knicks play in a city that firmly backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
It is also questionable how many of the Knicks players will attend. Forward Josh Hart celebrated Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election by calling Trump a “dumbass” on social media. Other players may be more supportive: center Mitchell Robinson is a registered Republican and called Trump’s visit to MSG “cool, I guess”.
Last season’s NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, did not visit the White House due to a “timing issue”.
Title-winning teams in major US sports have traditionally received invitations from the president to visit the White House after their victories. Such visits have become politically fraught during Trump’s two terms in power.
The last NBA champions to visit the White House were the Boston Celtics in 2024, during Biden’s presidency.
The Golden State Warriors chose not to visit Trump’s White House after their 2017 title – he later said he had withdrawn their invitation – and they were not invited after their 2018 championship. The Warriors had visited while Barack Obama was in office, and made the trip under Biden’s administration after their 2022 title.
The 2019 champion Toronto Raptors did not visit while Trump was in office, with players ruling out a trip before an invitation had been offered, and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers skipped their visit to Biden’s White House because of pandemic health and safety protocols.