The New York Knicks have accepted an invitation from the White House to celebrate the team’s first NBA championship in over 50 years during a Trump administration.

James Dolan, owner of the Knicks, confirmed the White House invitation and stated that details remain pending. “We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said. He added, “Still have to figure out the details, but, yes, of course, I invited the president to come down to 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.”

President Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game earlier this month, when he watched the New York Knicks lose Game 3 of their championship series against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks went on to win the series 4-1.

The White House press office stated that specific arrangements for the Knicks’ visit are still being finalized, including the date and size of the delegation. In contrast, the Seattle Seahawks—whose victory in Super Bowl LX occurred on February 8—are currently pending a White House invitation.

In 2017, during his first term, President Trump publicly sparred with NBA stars such as Stephen Curry and LeBron James. Curry, who led the Golden State Warriors to an NBA championship, had previously declined a White House invitation, prompting Trump to withdraw it on Twitter.

The following year, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted that Trump made a comment about immigration that he found “discouraging.” In 2024, Silver donated thousands of dollars to Kamala Harris and other Democrats, as well as to Nikki Haley’s Republican presidential primary campaign.

Dolan, who married at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in 2018, defended the president in a recent interview, calling him “a Knicks fan.” In that same interview, he criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani and police commissioner Jessica S. Tisch as “fake Knicks fans.”

Trump has attended games at Madison Square Garden during the 1990s when the team was known for its physical style and made two Finals appearances. He praised the current Knicks, including star players Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

After Game 3 of the championship series, Silver described Trump’s attendance as a unifying event, noting, “He was a fixture at Madison Square Garden.”