New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson said that the team is still unsure if they’ll accept President Trump’s invitation to meet with him at the White House.
Team owner James Dolan, a longtime friend of Trump, confirmed the team’s acceptance last month on WFAN Sports Radio, though Brunson and the team have yet to come to a decision, and no date has been set, according to a White House official.
Brunson reaffirmed at Variety’s inaugural Sports & Entertainment Studio that the team’s plans remain uncertain.
“That’s something that we actually haven’t discussed as a team,” Brunson said. “And so obviously, people are making assumptions and saying everything, but together we haven’t discussed it yet. And so we’ll cross our bridge when we get to it.”
Dolan has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump’s presidential campaigns, and he invited Trump to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, where Trump sat in the owner’s box with Dolan.
Game 3 was the only game in the Finals run that the Knicks lost, which some fans blame on Trump’s presence in Madison Square Garden. The president’s appearances on the jumbotron drew resounding boos and jeers from the crowd.
The players themselves vary in terms of their politics. Forward Josh Hart has been outwardly critical of Trump, calling him a “dumba--” on X in 2020. Center Mitchell Robinson, though, is a registered Republican and called Trump’s Game 3 attendance “cool, I guess.”
All NBA champions during Trump’s presidencies have declined to visit the White House. The last champions to head to D.C. were the Boston Celtics after their victory in 2024, when Biden was in office.
When Brunson was told the Knicks would be the first NBA team to visit the White House during the Trump administration, he responded, “Interesting... interesting.”
