The New York Knicks accepted an offer to visit the White House to celebrate the franchise’s first NBA championship since 1973, owner James Dolan said.
The Knicks will be the first NBA title-winning team to visit President Donald Trump at the White House during either of his terms in office.
Dolan, 71, and Trump, 80, have been long-time friends, with the two sitting alongside each other at Madison Square Garden in New York for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on June 8.
“We just received an invitation which we’ve accepted, still have to figure out the details,” Dolan said Wednesday on WFAN Sports Radio. “I’ve known the president 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
Trump, the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals, was booed by fans at Madison Square Garden before Game 3.
Shown on the jumbotron saluting the American flag during the national anthem, Trump received a chorus of boos but downplayed the reception after the game — a 115-111 Spurs win that cut the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. The Knicks won the next two games to end the best-of-seven series.
Trump was a longtime New York resident and has other ties to the franchise and Dolan, who also oversees operations of Madison Square Garden and the NHL’s New York Rangers.
The Boston Celtics were the last NBA champion to visit the White House, celebrating their 2024 title during Joe Biden’s presidency.
