Trump Booed by Crowd at NBA Finals

San Antonio Spurs, who went on to win the game, also booed at Madison Square Garden
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 9, 2026 12:00 AM CDT
Trump Booed by Crowd at NBA Finals
Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York.   (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

President Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden Monday night when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem as he became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, the AP reports. Chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" echoed through the arena as Avery Wilson sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," but they they gave way to boos moments later as Trump was displayed on the jumbo screens giving a military salute. The jeers ended when the US flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited vociferous boos. The Spurs ultimately won the game 115-111.

Trump watched Game 3 from Knicks owner James Dolan's suite, along with granddaughter Kai, personal adviser Boris Epshteyn, and Cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy, and Doug Burgum. He sat next to Dolan for the first quarter and spent part of the second talking to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman. Trump's Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. He encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs saying "Trump must go."

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