The New York Knicks’ return to the NBA Finals has already turned Madison Square Garden into the center of the basketball world. Now, President Donald Trump’s expected attendance at Game 3 has added another layer of attention — and prompted a public plea from Stephen A. Smith.
Smith said on his radio show that he does not want Trump at Monday night’s Knicks-Spurs matchup, arguing that the president’s presence would add to an already chaotic scene in Midtown Manhattan.
“He’s coming to Game 3 of the Finals, and I don’t want him there,” Smith said.
The ESPN personality insisted his objection was not rooted in politics or policy. Instead, he said the issue was logistics, crowd pressure and the security disruption likely to follow any presidential visit to one of the biggest Knicks games in a generation.
Smith’s Plea
Smith made his comments while discussing Trump’s plan to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
He said the city would already be overwhelmed because of the Knicks’ first NBA Finals home game in nearly three decades. Adding the president, he argued, would make an already intense night even harder to manage.
“It has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that,” Smith said. “It has everything to do with him disrupting and contributing at the same time to the chaos that’s going to exist at Madison Square Garden.”
Smith even said he would offer the same advice if former President Barack Obama were the one planning to attend.
“If it were Barack Obama coming to the Garden, I would say, ‘Stay home.’ Stay at the White House,” Smith said.
Trump said last week that he expected to attend one of the Knicks’ Finals games. OutKick reported that a source familiar with the plans confirmed he was expected at Game 3.
The Associated Press reported that Trump confirmed he would attend the Knicks-Spurs Game 3 at MSG and said fans frustrated by high ticket prices could “watch it on television.”
Trump also said he had planned to attend Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals before the Knicks finished that series early with a four-game sweep of Cleveland.
The Game 3 appearance would put Trump in the building for a major New York sports moment, with the Knicks hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time since 1999.
Adam Silver Welcomes the Moment
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took a different view from Smith.
Silver said he was “thrilled” that Trump wanted to take part in the excitement around the Knicks, describing him as “very much a New Yorker.” People reported that Silver welcomed the president’s planned attendance and framed it as part of the broader enthusiasm surrounding the team’s Finals run.
Silver’s reaction positioned Trump’s appearance not as a disruption, but as another sign of how large the moment has become for the Knicks and the city.
For the league, a president attending an NBA Finals game creates national visibility. For Smith, it creates another pressure point in a city that may already be stretched.
The stakes around Game 3 are unusually high because of the Knicks’ long absence from the NBA Finals.
New York has not hosted a Finals game in 27 years, and the franchise is chasing its first championship since 1973. That history has made the series feel bigger than a normal Finals matchup in New York.
The Knicks entered the series against the San Antonio Spurs after a dominant playoff run. The source article states that New York had won 12 straight playoff games, led the series 1-0, and had not lost since April 23.
That kind of momentum has intensified fan excitement across the city. Smith said he expects the environment around MSG to be unlike anything he has seen in more than 30 years covering sports.
The Chaos Around Madison Square Garden
Smith’s warning focused on what he expects New York City to look like on game night.
He predicted packed subways, gridlocked streets and a level of Midtown congestion that fans and commuters may not be prepared for. He urged people not to drive into Midtown, saying the area would become a parking lot.
“You don’t understand what Monday is going to be like in New York City,” Smith said.
His argument was simple: the Knicks’ Finals return is already enough to overwhelm the area. A presidential motorcade, security perimeter and national media attention could make movement around Madison Square Garden even more difficult.
Ticket Frenzy Adds to the Spectacle
The crowd pressure is not only about who is attending. It is also about how badly people want to get inside.
Reports have described Knicks-Spurs Game 3 as one of the most expensive NBA Finals games ever, with some resale prices soaring into extraordinary territory. The New York Post reported that average ticket prices had climbed above $7,000, while the cheapest seats were listed around $9,000.
Business Insider also reported that the Knicks were auctioning a pair of courtside tickets for charity, with bidding reaching $500,000.
Those prices help explain why Game 3 has become more than a basketball game. It is a civic event, a celebrity magnet and a status symbol — all packed into one night at Madison Square Garden.
Why the Debate Matters
The debate over Trump’s attendance matters because it reflects the collision of sports, politics, celebrity and city logistics.
Smith says the issue is not political. He argues that any president attending this particular game would add too much disruption to an already volatile environment.
Silver sees the attendance as part of the joy surrounding the Knicks’ run. Trump’s presence, in that view, reflects the scale of the moment.
OutKick’s article takes a more critical view of Smith’s objection, arguing that there is nothing inherently political about a president attending a basketball game or shaking hands at a public event.
That disagreement is why the story has stretched beyond sports. The question is no longer only whether Trump will attend. It is whether his presence changes the atmosphere around one of the biggest nights in modern Knicks history.
Stephen A. Smith’s plea for Trump to skip Game 3 of the NBA Finals has added another storyline to a Knicks moment already overflowing with them.
The team is back on the NBA Finals stage at Madison Square Garden for the first time in 27 years. Ticket prices are soaring. Fans are preparing for a historic night. And now the president’s expected appearance has turned a basketball game into a national spectacle.
Smith says he wants Trump to stay away to avoid worsening the chaos. Adam Silver says he is thrilled the president wants to share in the enthusiasm. Either way, Monday night at MSG is no longer just about the Knicks and Spurs. It is about New York, power, celebrity, security — and the kind of sports moment that takes over an entire city.
