Donald Trump and New York Knicks owner James Dolan at Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Al Bello/Getty Images The New York Knicks have won the NBA championship, and questions are already swirling about whether they will make a trip to the White House to celebrate with Donald Trump.
Trump is famously friendly with Knicks owner James Dolan, who invited the president to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Madison Square Garden. Trump accepted, leading to logistical chaos in and around the arena. New Yorkers booed him lustily when he was shown onscreen during the singing of the national anthem, standing in Dolan’s box along with several of his Cabinet officials, and the Knicks lost the game.
Dolan said during a radio appearance on Wednesday that Trump invited the team to visit the White House, and that the team has accepted. It’s unclear, however, when the visit will take place and whether the entire team will attend.
Some Knicks players have been vocal in the past regarding their distaste for the president. Starting guard Josh Hart repeatedly referred to the president as a “dumbass” in now-deleted social media posts. On the day of the 2020 election, Hart wrote, “YESSIR!!!! GET TRUMP’S DUMBA** OUT THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!”
YESSIR!!!! GET TRUMP’S DUMBASS OUT THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) November 7, 2020
The six-year-old post resurfaced after Dolan invited Trump to Game 3. In response to the announcement that Trump would attend, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns subtly pushed back on the series of security inconveniences — including canceled watch parties outside of MSG — that fell upon the city. “Fans have earned the right and deserve the right to see Finals basketball played here, at Madison Square Garden,” he said at a pre-game presser when questioned about the disruptions.
Not all champions have wanted to share their glory with the controversial president — and he hasn’t always been equitable in his invitations. The New York Liberty, the 2025 WNBA champions, did not receive an invitation to the White House. The gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team did only after backlash, and they ultimately declined. In 2018, Trump revoked his invite to the Philadelphia Eagles, after several players on the championship team publicly refused to attend.
