The New York Knicks are planning to visit the White House, owner James Dolan said Wednesday, marking a first for an NBA Finals winner during President Trump’s time in office.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details, et cetera,” Dolan said in an interview on sports-talk radio station WFAN. “Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
The White House has not released any information about the timing of a potential visit by the Knicks. CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.
It’s also not clear which Knicks players are planning to travel to the White House, or whether any will choose to stay home.
A longtime Knicks fan and a personal friend of Dolan, the president traveled to Madison Square Garden to attend Game 3 of the Finals last week. The Knicks lost that game to the San Antonio Spurs — their only loss in the series — but won the following two, clinching the Larry O’Brien Trophy in San Antonio over the weekend. It was the Knicks’ first NBA championship in more than a half-century.
Mr. Trump praised the Knicks, Dolan and “superstar” point guard Jalen Brunson in a Truth Social post shortly after their title win, calling it “maybe the greatest in the history of basketball.”
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The Knicks are set to be the first NBA Finals winners to visit the Trump White House. Last year’s championship Oklahoma City Thunder did not visit due to a “timing” issue.
During his first term in office, Mr. Trump uninvited the Finals-winning Golden State Warriors in 2017 because star Steph Curry was “hesitating” at taking the president up on the “great honor,” and he didn’t extend an invitation when the Warriors won again the following year.
The 2019 Finals were won by the Canada-based Toronto Raptors, and the 2020 Finals — won by the Los Angeles Lakers — were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Mr. Trump had also previously said he wouldn’t invite Lakers superstar LeBron James.)
Championship-winning teams from other sports have stopped by the White House, including the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles last year.
