U.S. President Donald Trump was greeted by a resounding wave of boos from New Yorkers as he stood at attention during the national anthem ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
The crowd erupted in disapproval of Trump, the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, as he appeared on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden.
The Star-Spangled Banner was quickly drowned out by heckling as the president, encased in bulletproof glass, was captured cracking a smile amid the crescendo.
The jeers ended when the U.S. flag replaced him on the screens and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited vociferous boos.
“It was, I think, mostly cheers,” Trump told reporters after the game before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington. “It was loud and it was very enthusiastic.”
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The reaction followed a slew of additional security measures and the construction of a large perimeter around the venue that held fans outside for hours and forced them to wait in lines stretching blocks from the venue, according to the Associated Press.
Attendees were required to show their tickets in order to pass through several checkpoints, including a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer.
As ticket holders waited, Trump’s Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street ahead of his motorcade, which then made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena about an hour before the game began.
NYPD officers escort the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump outside of Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series on June 8, 2026, in New York.
AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Trump watched Game 3 with his 19-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, personal adviser Boris Epshteyn and Cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy and Doug Burgum from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite.
He sat next to Dolan for the first quarter and spent part of the second talking to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman.
With stepped-up security, a watch party outside was cancelled and ticket holders were not allowed to bring bags inside.
Fans had gathered near the arena to watch the Knicks during this playoff run, in which the Knicks won 13 straight games to reach the finals for the first time since 1999.
President Donald Trump watches Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 8, 2026, with his granddaughter Kai Trump and Knicks owner James Dolan.
The Knicks’ winning streak ended Monday night, as the Spurs won 115-111. Game 4 will be played Wednesday night at the Garden.
It’s not the first time Trump has faced vocal reactions during a sporting event.
During the national anthem at a regular-season NFL game in November, the president was greeted by a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd as he appeared on the jumbotron late in the first half alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
— with files from The Associated Press
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