Trump plans to attend Knicks Finals Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday: sources

President Trump plans to cheer on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden at Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday, turning “The World’s Most Famous Arena” into a high-security frozen zone that will affect both basketball fans and everyday New Yorkers.

Multiple sources say that Trump will be attending Game 3. The President has said he was invited to attend a Knicks playoff game by the team’s owner, James Dolan, who has donated to Trump’s political campaigns.

Mayor Mamdani will also attend Monday’s game at MSG, but he wouldn’t say if he will be meeting Trump during his visit to New York.

“I will be in a very different section of the stadium, and I think we look forward to welcoming any New Yorker who is excited for the Knicks to have that chance to win that championship,” Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference on Thursday.

NYPD officials said they will be coordinating with the Secret Service to determine the best way to protect Trump during his visit.

It was not clear if a watch party will be held outside MSG during Monday’s game. Watch parties at MSG are usually announced within a day of the event.

More than 18,000 screaming fans attended the watch party outside MSG on Wednesday night for Game 1 of the NBA Finals that pitted the Knicks against the San Antonio Spurs. After ending the first half trailing behind the Spurs, the Knicks ultimately beat their championship rivals, 105-95.

Despite the huge numbers that turned out for the open-air viewing, only eight people were arrested for disorderly conduct and other charges, police said.

A presidential visit to the city is also fraught with traffic and security challenges, city officials said. A presidential visit at a major sporting event will pose an even greater traffic and security nightmare, a city source said.

An email to MSG for comment was not returned.

The President had planned to attend Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and watch the Knicks take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Knicks swept the series, so there was no fifth game.

Trump has attended numerous major sporting events throughout his second term at the White House, from the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans to this year’s College Football Playoff National Championship game in Miami.

Former President Barack Obama was the last sitting president to attend an NBA game, when he saw his hometown Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015.