The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years, and the city hasn’t stopped celebrating since Finals MVP Jalen Brunson dropped 45 points in Game 5 to seal the series. The franchise’s first title since 1973 has brought together a fanbase that endured decades of heartbreak to reach this moment.
But amid the championship glow, the inevitable question has surfaced about whether the Knicks will visit the White House. Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason didn’t wait long to weigh in, and during a recent segment, the longtime WFAN host made his position clear.
Boomer Esiason Ties Knicks’ White House Visit to James Dolan’s Friendship With Donald Trump
Esiason framed the Knicks’ potential visit to the White House as both a civic honor and a natural extension of team owner James Dolan’s well-documented relationship with the president.
“When does Jim Dolan tell his team that we’re going down to visit my good friend Donald Trump in the White House?” Esiason said. “That’s what I can’t wait for, and hopefully they all go. Hopefully, they go, just like they’re doing everything that they’re doing here.”
“I would love to see them be honored at the White House, given this is the 250th birthday of our great nation,” he added. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see the Knicks standing there with a huge Knicks fan who happens to be the President of the United States?”
“When does Jim Dolan tell his team that we’re going down to visit my good friend Donald Trump in the White House? That’s what I can’t wait for” – Boomer Esiason on the Knicks pic.twitter.com/SjO1Xti6bJ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 16, 2026
The questions about the Knicks’ chances of visiting the White House stem from Trump’s polarizing appearance at Game 3, when the president sat in Dolan’s suite at Madison Square Garden and was loudly booed when shown on the jumbotron during the national anthem.
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His presence prompted TSA-style screening, a strict no-bag policy, and two-hour entry waits, frustrating players and fans who paid thousands for tickets. The traditional outdoor watch party near MSG was also canceled entirely due to security requirements.
The Knicks lost that game 115-111 to the Spurs, snapping a 13-game playoff winning streak, and the team’s fans were visibly quite upset with the President’s decision to attend the game.
However, due to Dolan’s friendship with Trump, the Knicks are widely expected to accept any White House invitation. Championship-winning teams across major sports have largely continued the tradition during Trump’s second term, regardless of their political stances.
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Some Knicks players may hold personal reservations, but with Dolan’s close ties to the president and the historic nature of the franchise’s first title in over half a century, a full-team visit appears likely.
It will be interesting to see whether every player makes the trip or it becomes another chapter in the ongoing debate about sports and presidential politics.
Since Dolan is such a ‘friend’ to Trump (as if he actually HAS any!), let HIM
go to the White House and hang out with that disaster of a human being we generously refer to as out president.