Next week, the New York Knicks will be hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time since 1999, and United States President Donald Trump will be in the stands for at least one of those games. While he’ll obviously be rooting for the Knicks as a longtime New Yorker, he made it clear that he greatly admires Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
Last week, Trump acknowledged the possibility of attending at least one of the upcoming NBA Finals games in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. This week, Trump confirmed that he would indeed be attending at least one of the games, and he also had some high praise for Wembanyama and Knicks owner Jim Dolan.
“I’ve been a Knick fan for a long time, and I’m also a Jim Dolan fan. He’s a nice guy, OK? He spent a long time wanting to win and he’s a competitive guy and he’s got a team that’s amazing. I don’t think they’ve lost a playoff game. Can you imagine that?” Trump said on Thursday.
Trump said that he did watch the beginning and the end of Wednesday night’s Game 1 in San Antonio, but he missed the middle portion because he “talked to generals all night long.”
“It was not looking good,” Trump said of the Knicks’ double-digit deficit. “I saw the beginning of the game and it wasn’t looking good. I missed the middle because I talked to generals all night long, but I watched that end of the game and they were dominant. Really amazing.”
Trump Praises Wembanyama
One thing that clearly stood out to Trump was 7-foot-5 Wembanyama, who drew some praise from the president.
“Wemby’s a great player — he’s going to be a great player and he is already a great player. I say ‘How do you guard this guy? He’s 7-foot-5 and he’s got a great shot, right?’ But they find a way to do it. They’re a great team and I’m happy for Jim because Jim has been fighting hard to produce such a team, so yes, you never know.”
Wembanyama finished Wednesday night’s game with 26 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort.
Trump Will Attend a Finals Game
As for his plans for next week, Trump confirmed that he will indeed be attending a game next week, though he did not specify which game.
“The answer is yes, he’s invited me and I’m going,” Trump said. “It could be Monday … maybe I’ll do both.”
Trump is set to become the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game after becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl last year.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.