President Donald Trump may attend an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden next month.
Trump said Wednesday at a Cabinet meeting that he was invited to attend the NBA Finals by New York Knicks owner James Dolan. The New York Knicks, after closing out a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, will host Game 3 and Game 4 of the series at a minimum.
“I think I’ll be going to one of the games,” Trump said, via ESPN. “I was invited by numerous people, and [Dolan], and I think I’ll be going.”
Trump did not get into specifics, or announce a firm plan to actually attend one of the games.
He did claim that he was going to attend Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night before the Knicks swept the series.
“I was going to go on Wednesday, but [the Knicks] closed it out very quickly. … Boy, what a team, they won all their games,” he said. “They have some great players.”
If Trump actually attends, he’d be the first sitting United States president to attend an NBA Finals game. Trump has attended several notable sporting events in the past, including the college football national championship game earlier this year in Miami and Super Bowl LIX. Trump attended a session at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black last fall, too.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for June 3. The Knicks will open the series on the road against either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals with a win in Game 5 of that series on Tuesday night. The Knicks, who are now playing in their first NBA Finals since 1999, will then host Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10. If necessary, the Knicks would also host Game 6 of the series.
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