Stephen A. Smith does not want to see President Trump at Game 3 of the NBA Finals Monday night at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks have the chance to take a 3-0 lead in the series against the San Antonio Spurs, as the franchise seeks its first title in over 50 years. Monday is expected to be pandemonium in Midtown Manhattan. “He’s coming to Game three of the Finals, and I don’t want him there,” Smith said. “It has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that. It has everything to do with him disrupting and contributing at the same time to the chaos that’s going to be existing at Madison Square Garden,” Smith continued. “If it were Barack Obama coming to the Garden, I would say, ‘Stay home.’ Stay at the White House,” he added. “You don’t understand. I have been covering sports for over 30 years. And I’m telling you right now, come Monday, for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, I expect to see an environment I have never seen in my entire career covering sports. You don’t understand. You don’t understand,” he continued. Check it out: Stephen A. Smith begs Donald Trump to stay away from Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals: “He’s coming to Game three of the Finals, and I don’t want him there. It has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that. It has everything to do with him… pic.twitter.com/O3dk7DnQo2 — NBA Base (@TheNBABase) June 5, 2026 More from the New York Post: Trump, like Smith, is a native New Yorker and has a long history of attending high-profile Knicks games long before his political aspirations. He has become a regular at UFC events at MSG and Prudential Center and attended the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans and U.S. Open men’s tennis final that same year. Trump planned on attending Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, but the Knicks swept away the Cavaliers. “I was invited to. I was going to go on Wednesday [Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals], but they closed it out very quickly. They’re great, and Jim Dolan’s a great guy — he’s, as you know, owns and in charge of Madison Square Garden. He’s having a good year,” Trump told The Post’s Emily Goodin on May 27. “Boy, what a team! They win all their games. They really have some great players. I think I’ll be going to one of the games, yeah. I was invited by numerous people, and Jim, and I think it’s great. Great to see it. The Knicks have really, they’ve really suffered for years and they’re doing right now very well.” The Knicks hold a 2-0 lead over the Spurs in the series after a nail-biting 105-104 win in Game 2 on Friday night. The team has won 13 straight playoff games and needs just two more wins to claim its first championship in 53 years. Trump said on Thursday that he accepted an invitation to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals, leaving the door open for Game 4 as well. “The answer is yes,” Trump said, according to ESPN. “[Dolan] has invited me, and I’m going. I’ll be there. It could be Monday. Maybe I’ll do both [Game 3 and Game 4],” he added. Watch below: President Trump confirms he'll be attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at MSG and was invited by Knicks owner James Dolan. pic.twitter.com/mAiD9Wa74P — New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 4, 2026 ESPN shared further: NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday that Trump would be “welcome” to attend Monday’s Game 3, which has fueled record ticket prices and extraordinary interest in New York City as the Knicks seek their first championship since 1973. “President Trump is very much a New Yorker,” Silver said. “I’m thrilled another New Yorker wants to participate in the enthusiasm and the joy around this Knicks team.” Silver noted that Trump’s appearance will be the first by a sitting president at an NBA Finals game. While speaking at a community relationship event in San Antonio, Silver described Trump as a longtime Knicks fan who attended multiple NBA drafts when they were held at Madison Square Garden and once appeared in an “I love this game” commercial produced by NBA Entertainment. “Sports, in particular, is something where we can emphasize what we have in common, not what pulls us apart,” Silver said. “It creates a sense of belonging.” The NBA will use additional layers of security to accommodate Trump’s attendance. “There should be extra security for the president of the United States to be at a game, but I think the fans are very understanding of that,” Silver said. “I think they recognize that it adds to the bigness of the event.” What are your thoughts? TAP HERE TO ADD YOUR VOTE