The New York Knicks clinched an NBA championship spot Monday – and President Trump shared his excitement over his home team’s progress and his hopes to attend an NBA Finals game during today’s cabinet meeting
“Boy, what a team. They win all their games,” Trump said. “They really, they have some great players. I think I will be going to one of their games.” He also congratulated Knicks owner Jim Dolan, who he counts as a longtime friend.
Trump has been a Knicks fan for years, with recently surfaced photos showing him sitting courtside back in 1991. If his plans work out, he will be the first sitting US president to attend an NBA Finals game. His endorsement of the team could prove testing for the Knicks: embrace Trump’s support – and half the country will hate you. Reject it – and the other half will. It’s lose-lose!
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York was unimpressed by Trump’s enthusiasm. “I’d ask him to name the starting lineup of the 1993 championship team and see how he does,” she said at her press conference when asked about Trump’s ostensible Knicks fandom.
The jab came back to bite – sports fans were quick to highlight how much Hochul got wrong in one sentence. The last time the Knicks won a championship was in 1973. They didn’t even make it to the NBA Finals in ’93, instead memorably blowing a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, who went on to win the championship.
Perhaps Hochul should leave the sporty comebacks to New Yorkers who actually attend games.
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