"He's coming to Game 3 of the Finals, and I don't want him there," Smith said unprompted on his radio show while discussing the president's plans to attend Monday night's Knicks-Spurs matchup."It has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that.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.
If it were Barack Obama coming to the Garden, I would say, 'Stay home.' Stay at the White House."Stephen A.Smith attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 6, 2025.
(Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)KNICKS FANS WOULD SAVE MONEY FLYING TO SAN ANTONIO FOR NBA FINALS GAMES INSTEAD OF BUYING MSG TICKETSOn Wednesday, OutKick confirmed through a source familiar with the plans that Trump is expected to attend Game 3."I think I'll be going to one of the games," Trump said last week when asked about the Knicks' playoff run.Trump also said he had planned to attend Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals before New York wrapped up the series early with a four-game sweep of Cleveland.Monday night is expected to be one of the biggest nights in New York Knicks history.The franchise will host an NBA Finals game for the first time in 27 years.Though originally underdogs against the Spurs, the Knicks have won 12 straight playoff games and currently lead the series 1-0.
New York has not lost a game since, wait for it, April 23.Fans react at a watch party inside Madison Square Garden in New York City during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on June 3, 2026.The Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, seeking their first championship since 1973.
(Adam Gray/Getty Images)VICTOR WEMBANYAMA CROSSING HIS ARMS DURING THE U.S.NATIONAL ANTHEM IS A PROBLEM FOR THE NBA | BOBBY BURACKAccording to Smith, New York City will be hectic enough without Trump in ...