SAN ANTONIO (AP) 鈥� There has been no announcement that President Donald Trump plans to attend an NBA Finals game at New York’s Madison Square Garden next week, though Commissioner Adam Silver hinted at Trump’s intentions Wednesday when he said sports remain something that unifies even in divided times.
Silver, without saying Trump’s name, responded to a question about 鈥渦nique people鈥� coming to finals games in New York and how the league prepares for such events. The New York Post, citing anonymous sources, reported Wednesday that Garden officials have 鈥減erformed security walkthroughs鈥� in anticipation of a Trump visit.
Game 3 of the series is Monday in New York, Trump’s hometown. The series opened Wednesday in San Antonio, and Game 2 is there on Friday.
鈥淚 think what鈥檚 really so special about sports in our society 鈥� and it鈥檚 a little bit of a clich茅, but our increasingly divided society, and that goes to people who will be attending the first home game at Madison Square Garden 鈥� it truly brings people together,” Silver said. 鈥淚t creates a sense of connectivity among people. It creates a sense of belonging, and I feel that every day.鈥�
The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Wednesday evening.
Trump is no stranger to major sporting events. He told reporters last week that owner James Dolan invited him to the NBA Finals and that he would have gone to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals 鈥� but the Knicks needed only four games to win that series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Trump called the Knicks’ return to the finals for the first time since 1999 鈥済reat to see.鈥�
Trump has routinely dropped in on prominent sporting events during his time in politics. He鈥檚 taken in the and caught a prime-time NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets
___
AP NBA:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
