President Donald Trump during a visit to Suffern, NY, on May 22, 2026.
REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
The New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden are beefing up security ahead of President Donald Trump’s expected presence at Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
The NYPD also confirmed that a watch party planned outside the Garden was canceled.
“There will be no watch party outside MSG on Monday. This decision was made is coordination with the Secret Service. There will be watch parties at other locations, which are currently being determined,” an NYPD spokesperson said.
Ahead of what will be the team’s first championship-round game in the Big Apple since 1999, fans are being implored to arrive to the World’s Most Famous Arena early, as they will have to go through Secret Service-level security screening to enter the arena. There is a strict no-bag policy that will be enforced, the team announced.
“Fans should make every effort to limit personal items to an absolute minimum,” the team wrote in a statement. “Fans should expect enhanced security measures when entering Madison Square Garden, including TSA-style screening procedures. Guests are strongly encouraged to arrive at least two hours before tip-off to allow additional time for screening and entry.”
Fans can begin the entry process into MSG at 6:30 p.m. ET, two hours before tip-off for Game 3. The Knicks hold a 2-0 series lead — two wins away from their first championship since 1973 — after taking the first two games of on the road in San Antonio. They currently hold the second-longest postseason win streak in NBA history at 13 games, dating back to Game 3 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Trump, who was invited by Knicks owner James Dolan, will be the first sitting president to ever attend an NBA Finals game and the first to visit an NBA game in any capacity since former President Barack Obama attended opening night in 2015 to watch his Chicago Bulls take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will also be in attendance at Game 3 on Monday night, but has already made it known that he will not be sitting near Trump.
A New York native, Trump has attended multiple sporting events since getting back into office in 2024. Last year, he was on hand for the FIFA Club World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, even presenting the trophy to the winners, then attended the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, the US Open Final in Flushing Meadows, and a Yankees game in the Bronx.
With reporting by Dean Moses
