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New York Knicks owner James Dolan may have jumped the gun when he said his championship-winning squad would be White House bound.
Days after winning the team’s first title in 53 years, Dolan announced that the team “receive[d] an invitation from the White House, which we accepted.”
“Still have to figure out the details, but, yes, of course, I invited the president to come down to the game, right? He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House,” Dolan said at the time.
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Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks lifts the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award trophy after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Well, Jalen Brunson is holding the horses.
“That’s something that we actually haven’t discussed as a team,” Brunson told Variety in a recent interview. “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.”
The Knicks would be the first NBA team to visit Trump in either of his terms, a note Brunson found “interesting.”
President Donald Trump attended the Knicks’ Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. It turned out to be the only loss for the Knicks, who went on to win the NBA Finals in five games.
President Donald Trump attends Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. (Getty Images)
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Trump criticized the NBA for being “highly political” in 2020. NBA players were given the option to wear social justice messages on their jerseys, and numerous players knelt for the national anthem. During his trip to the Finals, Trump said basketball was “a little left-wing” but “great entertainment.”
Knicks star Josh Hart has been critical of Trump in the past.
Dolan and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani got into a war of words during the Finals regarding watch parties. Dolan then appeared to take a shot at Mamdani during the team’s victory celebration at City Hall and did his best to stiff him in a photo opp.
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The Dolan-Mamdani beef is hardly new. The spat began during the election cycle when Mamdani used the Knicks logo for his campaign, and the team issued a cease-and-desist letter. The White House then used the Knicks logo in a post shortly after last year’s election to say, “Trump Is Your President.” The Knicks reached out to the White House which then removed the post.
President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026, in New York City. Trump was joined by his granddaughter Kai Trump, Knicks owner James Dolan, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
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“The Knicks remain neutral on political matters,” the team said in a statement at the time. “We hope all our elected officials, whether current or recently elected, do a great job in office.”
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