New York has been waiting for this moment for 27 years. No one wants to miss it. The city is preparing for June 8, a historic night when the NBA Finals return to the Garden. Everyone from Knicks celebrity superfans like Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be expected to attend. And after much speculation and a personal hint from POTUS himself, Donald Trump’s schedule has been revealed.

“President Trump is planning to attend Game 3 of the Knicks-Spurs series Monday at Madison Square Garden, sources told The Post, although there’s always the chance plans change,” The New York Post report read. “Before the Big Apple’s hometown heroes won Game 1 in San Antonio 105-95 Wednesday evening, MSG performed security walk-throughs in preparation for Trump’s potential visit.”

The White House didn’t respond to The Post when asked to comment. A native New Yorker, the current White House incumbent has been a longtime, loud Knicks fan. Trump had also previously teased his intention to witness the Knicks’ historic postseason run in person. But those plans fell through.

“I was invited,” Trump stated in a May 27 interview. “I was going to go on Wednesday [Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals], but they closed [the series] out very quickly.”

As the Knicks swept the Cavaliers in four games, with Game 4 in Cleveland, Trump didn’t get the chance to return to MSG for the first time since 2014. Yet the team’s double-digit postseason winning streak thrilled the president.

“Boy, what a team! They win all their games,” POTUS said. “They really have some great players. I think I’ll be going to one of the games, yeah. I was invited by numerous people and Jim [James Dolan], and I think it’s great. The Knicks have really suffered for years, and they’re doing, right now, very well.”

The last sitting president to attend an NBA game was President Barack Obama in 2015, when he saw his Chicago Bulls host the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to The Athletic. The league is also participating in the country’s 250th birthday by having its championship teams wear America250 patches on their jerseys.

Without taking Trump’s name, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver responded to a question about “unique people” wanting to show up for the Finals in NYC.

“I think what’s really so special about sports in our society, and it’s a little bit of a cliché, but our increasingly divided society, and that goes to people who will be attending the first home game at Madison Square Garden, it truly brings people together,” Silver said. “It creates a sense of connectivity among people. It creates a sense of belonging, and I feel that every day.”

Beyond the scheduled June 8 appearance for Game 3, the current format keeps the door open for additional outings, with Game 4 locked in for June 10 at the Garden, alongside a potential Game 6 slated for June 16 if the series extends that far.

How New York meticulously prepares for the Knicks’ Finals comeback

New York is already bracing itself for an emotional fanbase. The NYPD has begun implementing heavy crowd control and safety measures. Before news of Donald Trump’s visit, the city had lifted a ban on public watch parties. But the NYPD is diverting crowds away from MSG and toward open spaces, such as public parks. The security infrastructure required for a presidential appearance is immense, requiring tight coordination between federal agencies, local law enforcement, and arena staff.

Adding to it, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also a passionate Knicks fan, who issued a lighthearted executive order allowing his city’s kids to stay up late and watch the Finals, might attend Game 3. While both political figures might be present under the same roof to watch the historic matchup, Mamdani himself clarified that he won’t be seated alongside the President during the game.

But an appearance at MSG aligns directly with Trump’s established pattern of attending culturally significant sporting events during his time in office. In recent history, he watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, and he also attended the College Football National Championship between Indiana and Miami in Miami Gardens in January.

For NYC and basketball purists globally, the overarching story and end goal remains the end of a generation-long championship drought. The Knicks have not won a title since ’73, and ’99 was the last time the city felt what it’s like to live this moment.

With the same franchises matching up 27 years later, the intersection of sports history, local leadership, and a presidential visit ensures that Game 3 will be one of the most heavily scrutinized spectacles in modern basketball history.