NEWSDonald Trump Eyes Knicks NBA Finals Game After Skipping Don Jr.’s Wedding
Donald Trump hinted he may attend the NBA Finals in New York.
June 1 2026, Published 7:24 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump may be heading courtside for the NBA Finals, and the timing is already giving critics plenty to work with.
After the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, Trump told reporters Wednesday that he is considering attending one of the games in New York.
His announcement came after he skipped his son's wedding.
“They have some great players,” Trump said during a White House Cabinet meeting. “I think I’ll be going to one of the games. Yeah, I was invited by numerous people.”
The possible appearance comes just days after Trump skipped Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas, saying he needed to remain in Washington because of “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America.”
Knicks Are Back in the Finals
He praised the Knicks after their Eastern Conference sweep.
Trump praised the Knicks after their dominant Eastern Conference finals run, which ended Monday with a 4–0 sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Boy, what a team,” Trump said. “They win all their games.”
He added that he had planned to attend an Eastern Conference finals game, “but they closed it out very quickly.”
The Knicks are now waiting for the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Oklahoma City currently leads that series 3–2.
- Jimmy Kimmel Mocks Donald Trump for Sending His RSVP to Son Don Jr.’s Wedding ‘Via Truth Social’
- Donald Trump Accused of Being 'Obsessed' With Taylor Swift After He Taunts Her While Celebrating Philadelphia Eagles' 2025 Super Bowl Win
- 'I Love What He's Doing for Our Country': Tristan Thompson Gushes Over Donald Trump in Surprising Interview
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
The Wedding Contrast
Critics contrasted the NBA Finals plans with his wedding absence.
“From a communications standpoint, skipping your son's wedding to deal with Iran and then potentially showing up at the NBA Finals is not a great sequence of optics,” said Amore Philip, founder of Apples and Oranges Public Relations. “And late night already knows exactly what to do with that contrast.”
Philip said the calculus is obvious from an attention standpoint.
“A family milestone is personal but the audience for it is limited. A sports championship is a broadcast event watched by millions with guaranteed camera time, crowd reaction shots, and a viral clip within minutes of arrival,” she said. “From a pure attention economy standpoint, the NBA Finals delivers more eyeballs than any wedding ever could.”
A Ready-Made Late-Night Joke
Late-night hosts prepared jokes about the president's changing priorities.
“The moment Trump walks into Madison Square Garden for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, every anchor, every late night host, and every social media account is going to run side by side. Bahamas wedding: absent. New York arena: present,” Philip explained.
Philip added that Trump’s team could still soften the blow with “a brief, warm public acknowledgment of Don Jr. and Bettina before any arena appearance.”
“In the attention economy, every absence is a choice,” she said. “And every choice gets a caption.”
