President Donald Trump is heading to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday as he traveled to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, Trump was asked about the sky-high ticket prices surrounding the New York Knicks’ first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years.
Donald Trump Urges Fans to Watch the NBA Finals On TV Instead
“They can watch it on television. It’s semi-free to watch it on TV. That’s the way life goes for some,” Trump told media bluntly.
Pres. Trump, talking with reporters on AF1, takes four straight questions on the Knicks (happy Friday), including what his message is to everyday Americans who can’t afford tickets to the NBA finals.
“Watch it on television,” he says. “That’s the way life goes for some.”
— Megan Cassella (@mmcassella) June 5, 2026
The numbers backing up the reporter’s question are genuinely staggering. Get-in prices for Game 3 at MSG have surged past $9,000 on platforms like Gametime, with a median ticket sitting north of $17,000. Some tickets are listed at over $100,000 apiece.
The New York Knicks are in the Finals for the first time since 1999, riding a 12-game postseason winning streak that has made them one of the most exciting stories in American sports this year, so it’s obvious to see why demand for these tickets is high.
The San Antonio Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, add generational star power to the other side of the bracket. The result is a matchup that has broken every pricing benchmark the NBA has seen, surpassing comparable figures from Super Bowl LVIII.
Trump is attending as the personal guest of Knicks owner James Dolan and will become the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
The Knicks started off slow in Game 1 and struggled to break down the Spurs. Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper were hot in the first half, and the Knicks were paying the price.
But it all turned around as Jalen Brunson started to get into a groove, and he ended up with 30 points, including some clutch plays down the stretch to lead New York to victory on the road.
In Game 2, Wemby will be leading the Spurs as they try to bounce back and not fall into an 0-2 hole before the series shifts to Madison Square Garden in New York.
