NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described President Donald Trump as being a “genuine” fan of the New York Knicks, ahead of the president’s attendance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
While speaking on Inside the NBA before the Knicks game against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden, Silver spoke about how “had courtside seats” and “was a fixture at Madison Square Garden,” The Mirror U.S. reported.
“I’ve been with the league for a long time, I ran NBA Entertainment years ago,” Silver explained. “He did an ‘I Love Kids’ game spot with us. He was a fixture at Madison Square Garden. You guys remember, all of you, when you played here — not Draymond, but back in the old days, he had courtside seats. He was here all the time, he was at drafts — so he’s a genuine Knicks fan.”
At the end of May, during a cabinet meeting, Trump shared that he had been invited to attend a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden as the team competes in the NBA Finals.
“I was invited to,” Trump said at the time. “I was going to go on Wednesday, but they closed it out very quickly. Jim Dolan’s a great guy — he’s, as you know, owns and in charge of Madison Square Garden. He’s having a good year. Boy, what a team. They win all their games. They have some great players.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) responded to Trump’s comments about attending a Knicks game by trying to criticize him, saying she would “ask him to name the starting lineup of the 1993 Championship team.” Hochul was criticized by people who pointed out that “the last time the Knicks won a championship was 1973.”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has also criticized Trump for attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals, stating that Trump “has no business showing up in New York City.”
“I am dead serious,” Smith added. “It is selfish. It is narcissistic. It is ridiculous that he is coming to this game.”