Donald Trump may have already penciled the New York Knicks into his White House guestbook, but the players themselves appear to have other ideas.
After the Knicks captured their first NBA championship in decades, team owner James Dolan quickly announced that the organization had accepted an invitation from Trump to visit the White House. There was just one small problem: apparently nobody bothered to ask the players first.
Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson threw some cold water on the plan this week when asked about the visit.
“We haven’t discussed it,” Brunson said. “But as a team, we’ll discuss it, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
The comments immediately raised questions about whether the team is actually on board with the visit, despite Dolan’s eagerness to celebrate with his longtime friend in the Oval Office.
Dolan says yes. The players? Not so much.
Dolan announced shortly after the championship that the invitation had been accepted.
“We just received an invitation which we’ve accepted, still have to figure out the details,” Dolan said on sports radio. “I’ve known the president 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
But bringing the team may turn out to be harder than announcing it.
Trump and Dolan have maintained a close relationship for years, and Dolan even hosted Trump in his luxury box during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
That appearance didn’t exactly go over well.
When Trump appeared on the arena’s giant screen, he was met with loud boos from the crowd. Cameras also caught him looking less than thrilled by the action, snacking on pizza and fries and appearing to doze off during parts of the game.
To make matters worse for MAGA sports fans, Game 3 turned out to be the only Finals game the Knicks lost.
The “Trump Curse” strikes again?
Knicks fans immediately noticed the timing.
The team had been on an incredible winning streak before Trump’s appearance. Then suddenly they lost the one game he attended.
Some fans blamed a “Trump curse.” Others took the superstition more seriously, reportedly showing up outside Madison Square Garden to burn sage and rid the building of any lingering bad vibes after the loss.
The Knicks recovered, of course, and went on to win the championship anyway.
Another potential complication: some Knicks players have been openly critical of Trump for years.
Forward Josh Hart has repeatedly blasted Trump on social media, once celebrating Trump’s 2020 election loss with a post calling him a “dumbass.”
That’s not exactly the kind of endorsement typically featured in White House press releases.
And while professional athletes have often been pressured to participate in championship visits regardless of politics, the NBA has a particularly rocky history with Trump. During his first term, championship teams largely avoided the traditional White House celebration altogether.
If the Knicks ultimately decline, they wouldn’t be breaking with recent NBA history as every NBA team boycotted their customary visit during Trump’s first term in office.
For now, Trump can say he invited the champions. Whether the champions actually show up is another story.
