Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Friday told President Trump to stay away from Knicks games as the city’s beloved hoops team battles for its first NBA Finals title in 53 years.
With the city united behind the streaking Knicks, Jeffries called on Trump not to show up at Madison Square Garden, when the series with the San Antonio Spurs comes to New York for Game 3 on Monday.
“Why does Donald Trump always have to ruin a good thing?” the lifelong Knicks fan told CNN. “Like, literally, the Knicks haven’t been in the NBA finals for 27 years. The city is trying to celebrate this. We’ve embraced this team, and this guy has to inject himself.”
The House Democratic leader predicted Trump would hear from more than a few boo birds at one of the biggest basketball game the deep blue city has ever experienced.
“I’m not sure it’s going to be a good reception for him,” said Jeffries, who represents Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Trump, who says he’s a big Knicks fan, vowed to attend Game 3 and said he might return for Game 4, which is scheduled for Wednesday at the world’s most famous arena.
The White House added the Monday night appearance to Trump’s official schedule on Friday.
Mayor Mamdani is also expected to be in the house to cheer on the team.
Hizzoner struck a different tone than Jeffries about Trump’s potential appearance.
“We’re excited to welcome anyone and everyone who’s rooting for the Knicks in this moment,” Mamdani said.
The youthful mayor sought to make political hay out of Knicks-mania by appearing with three progressive candidates in Democratic congressional primaries in a hoops-themed TV ad that ran during Game 1.
Fans outside of the Garden were split on the President’s presence at Monday’s game, but most, whether they aligned with him politically, expressed the belief that any Knicks fan should be welcome.
Damon Clark, a 50-year old man from the Bronx and a Knicks fan since 1983, thought Trump should stay away, “‘Cause I think it’s a bad omen.”
He added, “And the reason why I say that is because all the attention is gonna go on him and not in the game.”
Erick Sanchez, 24, also from the Bronx, said, “I’m not a supporter of Trump. I think his decision is more for the rich, not for the common folks like me.”
Ticket prices have skyrocketed like never before for the games, with some deep-pocketed fans shelling out more than $100,000 apiece for the best seats.
Security is likely to cause a huge nightmare for anyone attending the game or driving on the west side of Midtown Manhattan.
Presidential visits are always fraught with traffic and security challenges, city officials said. Trump’s coming to a major sporting event in the heart of Manhattan will be even trickier, a city source said.
Details are not available yet but New Yorkers can likely expect street closures around the Garden and lengthy security checks for game attendees.
Julio Segarra, 59, works near MSG, and is worried “because every time he comes to the city, he messes up traffic.”
Despite the potential hassle, though, Segarra struck a welcoming tone. “It’s all right, if he wants to come, it’s fine,” he said. “As long as you’re a fan, you know, don’t come down here and start yelling Spurs stuff.”
It’s not clear yet whether the NYPD will give the go-ahead for a watch party for fans outside MSG. A sprawling crowd of nearly 20,000 mostly well-behaved Knicks fans showed up to cheer the Game 1 on Wednesday, with only a handful of minor arrests.
Led by superstar Jalen Brunson, the Knicks grabbed Game 1 on the road in San Antonio to take an edge over the Spurs as French sensation Victor Wembanyama struggled. The men in orange-and-blue were last in the finals in 1999, when they coincidentally also played the Spurs and lost in a lopsided 4-1 series.
