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Trump Becomes First Sitting President at NBA Finals, Booed

6/9/2026

47 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Trump Attends Finals

President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, the first sitting U.S. president to attend.
The crowd booed him during the anthem, though cheers occurred.
NYPD and Secret Service set a perimeter and a no-bag policy.
Tickets sold for over $6,000 each, with some seats at tens of thousands.
Adam Silver called Trump a “genuine Knicks fan,” while Mayor Zohran Mamdani moved party to Bryant Park.

Summary

Avery Wilson Anthem

Avery Wilson sang the national anthem before Game 3 of NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are 6-0 at home when Wilson sings the anthem, a streak noted by reports.
Fans call Wilson a “good-luck charm,” though the Grammy-nominated singer-actor who played Scarecrow in The Wiz revival charted on Billboard’s Hot R&B list with “Kiss The Sky” (2024) and is unsure if he was a Knicks fan before playoffs.

History

Historical Context

In 1992, President George H. W. Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to sit courtside at the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, where the West beat the East 153-113. The precedent resurfaced when former President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Both appearances highlight how presidential presence turns basketball events into high-security, media-focused spectacles.

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Trump Attends Finals

President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, the first sitting U.S. president to attend.
The crowd booed him during the anthem, though cheers occurred.
NYPD and Secret Service set a perimeter and a no-bag policy.
Tickets sold for over $6,000 each, with some seats at tens of thousands.
Adam Silver called Trump a “genuine Knicks fan,” while Mayor Zohran Mamdani moved party to Bryant Park.

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