The New York Knicks are still ‘internally discussing’ whether or not to visit the White House after winning the NBA Championship.
The reigning champions of major sports leagues have traditionally been invited to the White House for decades, although Trump has had a complicated relationship with the NBA.
No team visited during Trump’s first term, and that trend has continued since he was elected again in 2024.
However, Trump has a close relationship with Knicks owner James Dolan. Dolan invited the President to the NBA Finals, and he duly obliged with the pair sitting together at Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
In the days that followed, Dolan claimed he had already accepted an offer from Trump and he would proudly take his players to D.C.
‘We just received an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,’ said Dolan on WFAN in June.
Donald Trump sat with Knicks owner James Dolan at Game 3 of the NBA Finals at MSG
The Knicks are still ‘internally discussing’ whether or not they will visit the White House
‘We still have to figure out the details, etcetera, but yes, of course, I mean, look, I invited the President to come down to the game…He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.’
But at media day ahead of the new season getting underway, Knicks manager Mike Brown insisted the team has yet to decide whether they will head to the White House.
‘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.
After seeing the Knicks win their first NBA Championship since 1973, Trump offered his congratulations to the team he has supported since long before being in the White House.
‘What a year it has been but, even more so, what incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four – Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, June 14.
Knicks players have generally given little away when it comes to the discussion of attending.
After winning the title, star player Jalen Brunson told Variety: ‘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 our bridge when we get to it.’
Jose Alvarado, a Brooklyn, New York native, was asked by TMZ if he wanted to attend and replied: ‘If there’s a chance, I’m going wherever my teammates go.’
