In September 2017, Stephen Curry made his position on visiting the White House clear. The Golden State Warriors had just won the NBA championship, but Curry said he did not want to meet President Donald Trump. Kevin Durant was equally firm about his stance.
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“By acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country and what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye to,” Curry said.
The next day, Trump withdrew the invitation, tweeting that Curry was “hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” The Warriors later released a statement accepting that they were no longer invited. Nine years later, the New York Knicks are facing a different kind of White House controversy, and Stephen A. Smith has brought their owner into the spotlight.
“One of the things that people have been talking about around New York City, around Madison Square Garden, is that the climate is a little bit different,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on October 28.
“People have been a little bit stressed, because the owner James Dolan has an attitude with players because they don’t want to go to the White House.”
Smith did not present the allegation as confirmed fact. He acknowledged that he had not heard directly from the players and did not know how much truth there was to the report.
“I don’t know whether this is true or not, but I’ll believe anything when it comes to James Dolan because he is a walking embodiment of petulance. This man is as petty as they come.”
Smith went further, suggesting that Dolan’s relationship with Trump could be contributing to the situation.
“He’s petty enough to have an attitude because he’s tight with Trump and wants to go to the White House but some of the players, if not most of them, might not want to go.”
The allegation has not been independently confirmed. No Knicks player has publicly announced a refusal to visit, and Dolan has not publicly responded to Smith’s comments. But the controversy has revived a question that has remained unresolved since the Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years in June 2026.
James Dolan Said the Knicks Had Accepted Trump’s Invitation
The story began with Dolan himself. On June 17, the Knicks owner spoke to WFAN and said the team had accepted an invitation to celebrate its championship at the White House.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details,” Dolan said.
He also spoke about his relationship with the president and his desire to bring the team to Washington.
“I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
The White House confirmed that it had been in communication with the Knicks and expected to host the team at a date yet to be determined. At the time, Dolan’s comments made it sound as though the visit was going ahead, with the remaining questions focused on the arrangements.
However, the team’s subsequent statements revealed that the decision was not as settled as his announcement suggested. And it was the Knicks’ own captain who first publicly explained that the players had not discussed the matter together.
Jalen Brunson Had a Different Update
In a July interview with Variety, Jalen Brunson was asked about the prospective White House visit. The Knicks captain made it clear that the team had not yet reached a collective decision.
“That’s something that we actually haven’t discussed as a team. And so obviously people are making assumptions and saying everything, but together we haven’t discussed it yet, and so we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Brunson said.
His comments came about a month after Dolan had publicly announced that the team had accepted the invitation. Brunson did not say that he opposed the visit, nor did he claim that other players had rejected it.
Instead, he said the team had not discussed it together. That distinction matters because an owner announcing that an invitation has been accepted does not, by itself, establish that the players have collectively agreed to attend.
The uncertainty continued into the next season. By then, the question was no longer just about what Dolan had announced, but whether the organization had reached a decision that everyone was prepared to support.
Mike Brown Confirmed the Decision Was Still Pending
At the Knicks’ first practice of the new season on September 29, head coach Mike Brown was asked whether the team had determined if it would visit the White House. His answer indicated that discussions were still underway.
“No, it’s still something that our guys, or the organization, is internally discussing and, you know, whatever we decide to do, we’ll all do together,” Brown said.
That was the latest clear public update before Smith raised the possibility of tension in October. Brown did not describe a disagreement between Dolan and the players, and he did not say that the team had decided against going.
His emphasis was on a collective decision. That left the situation open, even as Smith’s comments suggested that the unresolved visit might be causing friction behind the scenes.
There is no public confirmation that the players have rejected the invitation. Nor is there a confirmed date for the visit. What remains clear is that Dolan announced acceptance in June, while Brunson and Brown subsequently described a decision that had not yet been made collectively.
Why Dolan’s Relationship With Trump Matters
Dolan has publicly described Trump as a longtime friend. When discussing the invitation in June, he said he had known the president for 30 years and was proud to bring the Knicks to the White House.
Trump has also spoken warmly about Dolan. On June 4, he told reporters, “I’ve been a Knicks fan for a long time, and I’m also a Jim Dolan fan. He’s a nice guy.”
Dolan’s political contributions provide further context for that relationship. Campaign-finance records show a $250,000 contribution associated with Dolan to the Trump Victory fundraising committee in September 2016. Other reported contributions bring the total associated with the 2016 cycle to more than $300,000, depending on which contributions are included.
More recently, Dolan, his family and entities linked to Madison Square Garden have been associated with significant contributions supporting Republican Bruce Blakeman’s 2026 New York gubernatorial campaign. Reports have also documented millions in contributions from MSG-linked entities to a pro-Blakeman super PAC.
These contributions establish Dolan’s involvement in Republican political fundraising, but they do not establish why he wants the Knicks to visit the White House. Nor do they prove Smith’s allegation that Dolan has developed an attitude toward players who may not want to attend.
The relationship helps explain why the invitation has attracted attention. Whether it has caused an actual dispute inside the Knicks organization remains unverified.
The Warriors Set a Different Precedent
The 2017 Warriors controversy shows what a confirmed disagreement over a White House visit can look like. Curry publicly said he did not want to attend, while Durant indicated that changing his mind would be difficult.
Trump then withdrew the invitation, and the Warriors issued a statement addressing the president’s decision and their own plans.
“While we intended to meet as a team at the first opportunity we had this morning to collaboratively discuss a potential visit to the White House, we accept that President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited.”
The team also explained how it intended to use a future trip to Washington.
“We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them. We’re disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise.”
“In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion — the values that we embrace as an organization.”
The difference between that episode and the Knicks’ situation is significant. The Warriors’ players publicly expressed their positions, and Trump withdrew the invitation. In New York, no player has publicly rejected the visit, and the invitation has not been formally withdrawn.
Other championship teams have also missed White House visits for different reasons. The Los Angeles Lakers’ planned visit following their 2020 championship was affected by COVID-19 protocols and scheduling challenges. The Oklahoma City Thunder, after winning the 2025 title, did not visit in March 2026 because of a reported timing issue.
Those cases show why a team missing a visit cannot automatically be treated as a political protest. The circumstances and the reasons given matter.
What Happens Next for the Knicks?
As of October 29, the Knicks have not announced a date for their White House visit. No public statement from the organization or Dolan has confirmed Smith’s allegation, and there is no reported disciplinary, contractual or roster consequence connected to the issue.
The team’s next scheduled game in Washington is December 18. That provides a potential opportunity for a visit, although neither the Knicks nor the White House has confirmed that any arrangements are planned around the game.
The question is whether the organization will eventually turn Dolan’s June announcement into a collective decision to attend, or whether the invitation will remain unresolved. The public record does not establish that the players are refusing to go, and Smith’s comments do not settle that question.
In 2017, the Warriors’ position became public, Trump withdrew the invitation, and the team explained its next steps. The Knicks’ situation has followed a different path: Dolan announced acceptance, Brunson said the team had not discussed it, and Brown later confirmed that the decision remained under discussion.
For now, the visit remains undecided. Whether the Knicks ultimately travel to the White House, and whether anyone involved publicly explains the delay, will determine what comes next.