PoliticsLate-Night Hosts Pounce on Donald Trump After NBA Finals Crowd Boos and Nap Claims
Late-night hosts mocked Donald Trump’s NBA Finals appearance.
June 12 2026, Published 7:33 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump’s trip to the NBA Finals gave late night exactly what it wanted: boos, a Knicks loss and a camera angle that looked ready-made for a nap joke.
The president attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday as the New York Knicks faced the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. The appearance quickly became a spectacle after Trump was loudly booed when shown to the crowd, then became late-night material after footage circulated appearing to show him asleep during the game.
Kimmel Goes After the Garden Nap
Jimmy Kimmel joked about Donald Trump appearing asleep.
Jimmy Kimmel opened Live! by framing the night as a historic first.
“Donald Trump last night made history, he became the first sitting president to shut down a major United States city so he could take a nap in front of a sold-out crowd at the NBA finals,” Kimmel said.
The host said Trump’s visit “was a bad idea to start with” and “went as badly as it could possibly go for Trump,” pointing to security delays, angry fans and canceled watch parties outside the arena.
“The question on everyone’s mind was ‘Would the President get booed in the Garden’,” Kimmel began. “The team didn’t want this so they were smart, they tried something clever, they showed him on the jumbotron during the national anthem, when it’s frowned upon to boo. That strategy did not work at all.”
‘Dozes Malone’ Takes Over
The crowd booed the president during the game.
Kimmel kept going after the camera caught Trump appearing to fall asleep.
“There’s Dozes Malone, who spent who knows how many millions of taxpayer dollars to get there, and he goes out like a light,” Kimmel joked.
“Who can fall asleep during the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden?! Do you know how out of it you have to be? I hope Joe Biden was watching this and laughing his a-- off last night.”
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
'The Daily Show' and Jimmy Fallon Join In
Desi Lydic roasted the crowd’s reaction.
On The Daily Show, Desi Lydic joked that fans gave “President Donald Jump Shot Trump” a “very New York welcome.”
“Do you know what it means to have every single person in New York booing you? Even a guy taking a s--- on the subway will have one New Yorker cheering him on,” Lydic said.
“Sir, you can’t sleep through the game,” she added. “You’re the president, not game three referee Mark Davis.”
Jimmy Fallon tied the Knicks loss to Donald Trump.
Jimmy Fallon joked that Trump’s approval rating in San Antonio was now 100 percent after the Spurs beat the Knicks 115–111.
“The Knicks fans are blaming him for the team’s loss,” Fallon said. “Trump doesn’t want to be blamed so today he called the NBA and asked that they find five more points for the Knicks.”
