President Donald Trump was awake, alert and speaking throughout his attendance of Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, according to New York Knicks owner James Dolan.
Appearing on WFAN’s “The Carton Show” on Wednesday, Dolan claimed that Trump did not fall asleep. despite speculation on social media about a video that appeared to show his friend nodding off during the action:
“I was with him the whole time. We were talking the whole time. He was very much awake, he was very much engaged.”
You can judge for yourself off the video in question, which at the very least disputes Dolan’s claim they were speaking throughout the game.
Dolan continued:
“That’s the first sitting president of the United States to ever go to an NBA Final. That is a huge honor. And he’s a New Yorker. Whatever you think about him, he’s a Knicks fan. People don’t want to hear this, I think he’s a great guy. I love — I’ve known him for over 30 years, but I’m not going to go on this show and start espousing the president.
“I’ll just say that having him there was a great honor and I enjoyed sitting with him. He asked me a lot of questions.”
Trump’s Game 3 attendance, which will not repeat for Game 4, wound up being its own story amid the Knicks’ first trip to the NBA Finals this century. Fans were urged to arrive to Madison Square Garden at least two hours in advance and without bags. They were greeted with long lines and wide security perimeters.
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President Trump was invited to Game 3 by Knicks owner James Dolan.
(Al Bello via Getty Images)
Not even players were immune to the security requirements of a sitting president attending a Finals game, as both the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs experienced TSA-style screening upon arriving to the arena.
Trump was heavily booed upon being shown on the big screen during the national anthem.
Despite Trump not attending Wednesday’s game, it will see similar security zone measures outside Madison Square Garden, which has turned into a matter of dispute between Dolan and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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