Eli Obaje, Abuja
Donald Trump made history on Monday as the first sitting US president to attend the NBA Finals. He showed up at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. But his appearance was met with a wave of boos when cameras put him on the arena’s big screens during the national anthem. He saluted as the singer performed, but the crowd’s reaction was loud and divided.
The boos followed hours of frustration outside the arena. Ticket holders waited in lines stretching more than two blocks because of intense security around the president’s visit. Streets around Madison Square Garden were closed to both foot and vehicle traffic. Metal barriers turned the area into an airport-style checkpoint, and fans had to pass through heavy screening to get inside. 
Security was massive. Thousands of NYPD officers and hundreds of Secret Service agents were deployed for the game. Trump flew in by Marine One from his New Jersey golf club, then traveled by motorcade to Manhattan. For local bars that usually cash in on Finals nights, the closures killed business. Barriers blocked foot traffic and left many pubs empty when they should have been packed.
Trump attended with his granddaughter Kai Trump and Knicks owner James Dolan. Several administration officials joined them too, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. The Republican president was born in Queens, but he has had a rocky relationship with his heavily Democratic hometown for years.
On the court, the Knicks lost 111-115 to the Spurs. That cut New York’s series lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven matchup. After the game, Trump told reporters he heard “mostly cheers” and called the crowd “very enthusiastic.” The booing during the anthem suggested a different story from fans inside the Garden.
The security shutdown hit regular New Yorkers too. Commuters and disgruntled Knicks fans struggled to get around the closed streets. One New Yorker told the BBC the high security was “killing the vibe of the Knicks.” A 44-year-old fan watching at Bryant Park called the disruption “very annoying.” He was 17 the last time the Knicks reached the Finals in 1999, also against San Antonio.
Not everyone was upset. Knicks fan Anthony Pulley, 43, told AFP the closures put a “damper on all the watch parties.” But he also said it was “pretty cool he wants to show up and be a part of it.” Outside the Garden, Bryant Park became the main watch spot after the Madison Square Garden watch party was canceled due to Trump’s visit. Fans climbed scaffolding and crowded around laptops to catch the game.
The night had a celebrity crowd despite the chaos. Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, Christine Taylor, Ben Stiller, and Timothée Chalamet sat courtside. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was there too and told reporters he paid nearly $1,000 for his ticket. From the Empire State Building to One World Trade Center, skyscrapers lit up orange and blue for the Knicks.
This Finals run is a huge turnaround for the Knicks. After decades as one of the league’s worst teams, they’re back in the Finals for the first time since 1999. Manhattan was packed with fans in orange and blue watching in the streets. On the last two game nights, even with the team playing in Texas, fans took over streets near the arena and dozens were arrested for climbing lampposts and blocking traffic.
Tickets were out of reach for most fans. The cheapest resale seats for Game 3 went for over $10,000, with some topping $100,000. Regular Knicks games are already among the NBA’s most expensive. When asked about the prices on Friday, Trump shrugged and said, “That’s the way life goes. It’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television.”
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