Donald Trump could become the first sitting US president to attend an NBA Finals game. The president said that he was invited by James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks, to witness one of the games that the team will play at Madison Square Garden during the decisive series of the season.

The information was reported by agencies such as AP and Reuters, although for now it must be read with an important precision: Trump expressed his intention to attend, but an official confirmation of the agenda with an exact date has not yet been reported.

“I think I'll go to one of the games,” Trump said when talking about the invitation, as reported by the AP. The president also noted that he had planned to attend an eventual fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals, but that game was not played because the Knicks swept their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, a fact that gives greater sporting and symbolic dimension to the eventual presidential landing at Madison Square Garden. The New York team awaits a rival from the West, which will emerge from the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.

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When will the Knicks play in New York?

According to the official NBA schedule, the Finals will begin on Wednesday, June 3. The first two games will be played on the home court of the Western Conference champion, while Games 3 and 4 will be played in New York on Monday, June 8 and Wednesday, June 10, both at 8:30 p.m. ET and broadcast on ABC. If the series is extended, there would also be a Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, June 16.

That margin opens several possibilities for Trump's presence, although until now it has not been publicly reported which party he would attend. Reuters reported that the president plans to go to Madison Square Garden as a guest of Dolan, with whom he has a long-standing relationship.

The political and sporting weight of a presidential visit

Trump's possible presence in the Finals would not be just another sporting episode. According to Front Office Sports and CBS Sports, if he finally attends, he would be the first sitting American president to attend an NBA Finals game.

The nuance is relevant: Barack Obama attended a 2019 Finals game between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, but was no longer serving as president.

Trump has already used major sporting events as a visible part of his public agenda. During his presidency he attended events with high media impact such as the Super Bowl, college football games and UFC events, among others, according to AP and Reuters reports.

In this case, the scenario would also have a particular local load. Trump is a New Yorker by origin, the Knicks are one of the historic NBA franchises and Madison Square Garden is one of the most emblematic sports venues in the United States. The team's qualification to its first Finals in more than two decades has already made the series a central event for New York.

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