President Donald Trump’s attendance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals proved fatal for the New York Knicks, who broke their historic win streak at home in Madison Square Garden.
Trump’s hometown team headed into Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs riding high on a 13-game win streak, the second-longest in NBA playoff history. Their streak was brought to an end after the Spurs secured an 115-111 victory over their rivals as the president looked on from team owner James Dolan’s private suite.
Fans were quick to point out that the Knicks’ historic streak came to an end with Trump in attendance. Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che wrote on his Instagram story after the loss, “ya just haaaaaaad to invite trumpty dumpty..”
Earlier on Monday, sports commentator Stephen A. Smith slammed the president’s decision to attend the game as “selfish,” adding, “If they lose tonight? I’m looking right at him. I’m blaming him. I’m blaming the president of the United States of America if the New York Knicks lose this tonight.”
“This is not the place for the president to be coming,” Smith said of Madison Square Garden. “He knows it. He just doesn’t care.” The president’s attendance necessitated enhanced security measures for the game, including a strict no-bag policy and the closure of surrounding streets from 4 p.m.
Fans with tickets to the game arrived only to find themselves stuck in lines for hours as they waited to enter the venue, with police officers on site reportedly not even aware of the protocol for the event.
“There are hundreds, if not a thousand people, wandering around in giant herds not knowing where to go or how to get in,” one fan told sports business analyst Darren Rovell. “The police keep saying they don’t know the protocol.”
Dolan’s decision to invite Trump proved so unpopular that the president was greeted with boos both outside and inside the venue, with fans loudly booing the president during the national anthem as he smiled awkwardly at the crowd. Knicks fans gathered outside the arena also gestured rudely at Trump’s motorcade and brandished signs telling him, “Nobody wants you here.”
Asked about Smith’s comments after the game, with the reporter noting that Smith has floated the idea of a presidential run in the past, Trump said that he was a “nice guy,” but that he lacked the necessary aptitude to become president.
“You need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ. I don’t think Stephen has it,” Trump said on Monday night.
In addition to causing chaos for fans and being met with boos at every turn, the president also made an impression by seemingly dozing off during the game.
Footage circulated on social media showed the 79-year-old with his eyes closed during the game while seated next to Dolan and his granddaughter Kai, leading many to claim that he had fallen asleep.
“WAKE TF UP,” Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote in response to the clip, while news outlet Meidas Touch joked that the president was taking a “long blink,” a reference to a previous excuse offered up by the White House to explain why Trump closed his eyes during a meeting in the Oval Office.
Pod Save America co-host Dan Pfeiffer noted on X after the game, “Trump goes to the Knicks game, gets booed, falls asleep on camera and Knicks lose for the first time in more than a month.”
“The guy just can’t stop winning.”
