Fans face long lines, intense security in Midtown Manhattan ahead of Trump's NBA Finals trip
NEW YORK - Ticketholders waited in lines more than two blocks long as a strict, airport-style gauntlet of security awaited fans at Manhattan's Madison Square Garden, where Donald Trump was expected to become the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals when the New York Knicks face the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3.
Three hours before tipoff commuters and tourists navigated a maze of black metal fencing surrounding the venue, where pedestrian traffic was restricted. The Knicks are preparing to play their first Finals home game in 27 years, riding a stunning 13-game postseason winning streak.
The home team returned to New York following a pair of road wins that put them up 2-0 in the best-of-seven finals, and the five boroughs were buzzing with anticipation, with the hottest tickets in town fetching sky-high prices on resale platforms.
Trump's planned attendance ratcheted up security plans over the weekend, and on Monday the New York Police Department said pedestrians without an "authorized reason" would not be allowed inside a secure area around the arena between West 35th and 30th Streets and Sixth and Eighth Avenues beginning 4-1/2 hours before the 8:30 p.m. ET (0030 GMT) tipoff.
Those entering the secure area were screened and will only be permitted to enter through a handful of access points.
While a handful of fans said they welcomed the president's attendance, many more said the added security was a frustration.
"I wish he wasn't here. He's not a real fan, and he's just making things awful," said Errol Ismail, a Brooklyn resident and owner of a fitness company, who tried multiple entrances to get into the venue. "We've waited a lifetime for this, and he's made it about himself, like everything else."
The Secret Service urged ticketholders to arrive two hours early to the venue long known as the "World's Most Famous Arena," which sits atop the busiest transit hub in the United States, Penn Station.
A watch party for fans that is traditionally held outside the arena for playoff games will not take place on Monday due to security concerns, the NYPD said on Sunday.
The Republican president, who was at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Monday afternoon, was expected to attend as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan but has a complicated relationship with the heavily Democratic-voting city he once called home.
He faced cheers and boos when he attended the U.S. Open tennis men's final in Flushing, Queens, last year. Many ticketholders missed the start of the match when security checks related to his attendance caused confusion and slowed entry.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was expected to attend as well, after telling reporters he purchased a ticket directly from Madison Square Garden for nearly $1,000.
Mamdani and Trump have been critical of each other's policy positions, but their meetings have been unexpectedly friendly.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery and Bo Erickson in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Rosalba O'Brien)
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.
This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 7:01 PM.