The dominance of the New York Knicks this postseason has been nothing short of astounding. Winning 13 straight games in commanding fashion, they had stolen the first two games of the Finals on the road against the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs.
The excitement caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who became the first sitting president to attend a Finals game. Unfortunately, as he sat in attendance, their winning streak turned to dust after a 115-111 defeat.
Almost immediately, fans were quick to join the dots.
Did Donald Trump Curse the New York Knicks in Game 3?
Videos and archives have shown Trump attending games at MSG for a long time. But that was before his administration took office.
Instead, Game 3 marked a historic night, as the president attended the game in James Dolan’s private suite.
However, even as he sat in attendance, the Knicks couldn’t muster up their 14th consecutive victory. Losing 115-111, they were overwhelmed by the Spurs’ physicality and a red-hot Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.
After the game, folks on social media were quick to point to Trump as the reason for New York’s loss.
Former dual-threat quarterback turned analyst Robert Griffin III hilariously pointed out, “The San Antonio Spurs want Donald Trump to go to every game at Madison Square Garden.”
Some political accounts, too, took advantage of the situation. Republicans Against Trump was among the first to state the obvious. “Trump attends Game 3. The Knicks suffer their first loss of the Finals.”
Donald Trump wanted to be the main character tonight and ended the Knicks 13 game winning streak pic.twitter.com/zkA2FBXigY
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) June 9, 2026
Even politicians, like Democrat Isaiah Martin, had some harsh words for the president. “Trump literally shut down New York and canceled watch parties just to fall asleep during the game and curse the Knicks to a loss smh. Generational L.”
“KNICKS LOST WITH TRUMP IN THE BUILDING. THE CURSE IS REAL,” HoodiGarland posted.
KNICKS LOST WITH TRUMP IN THE BUILDING. THE CURSE IS REAL pic.twitter.com/ekWQdVg03x
— ¹⁰ (@HoodiGarland) June 9, 2026
Because of his presence, security was increased to the maximum at the Garden, with watch parties around MSG, a staple of the Knicks’ playoff basketball, canceled throughout.
To make matters worse, the broadcast caught Trump dozing off in Dolan’s suite, adding further insult to injury.
The loss itself, though, was shocking on many counts. Since going down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks had been playing some of the best basketball on the planet.
Dominating on both ends of the court, their starting five had found perfect synergy, with some elite role players off the bench to further bolster their efforts.
As a result, Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points revealed the extent of their dominance.
“With Donald Trump in attendance, the New York Knicks’ 13-game playoff winning streak has come to an end, the 2nd longest streak in NBA history. It’s New York’s first loss in 46 days.”
For a lot of Trump detractors, this was a legitimate best-case scenario, as the jokes started flowing in.
Even the Lake Show couldn’t hold in their laughter, as they joked, “Knicks hadn’t lost a game in 50 days and just lost with Trump in attendance.”
Knicks hadn’t lost a game in 50 days and just lost with Trump in attendance pic.twitter.com/R3JvVJgFzM
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) June 9, 2026
Some, though, were a tad more disrespectful, with Fliff taking shots with an AI-generated image of Wembanyama dunking on Trump, with an accompanying message. “The Knicks went 46 days without losing a game until Trump showed up.”
The Knicks went 46 days without losing a game until Trump showed up 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/PcllCGYS6Y
— Fliff (@fliff) June 9, 2026
Josh Eberley of Sporting News, though, had a simpler outlook of the postseason from the New York lens. “Knicks without Trump, 13 straight playoff wins. Knicks with Trump, 0-1.”
Whether or not there is indeed a curse on the franchise that has suffered 53 years without an NBA championship, the Spurs’ win has, at the very least, made the series far more interesting.
Not willing to stand down just yet, San Antonio will try their best to make it a series once again when they return to MSG for Game 4 in two days.
