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The Knicks announced that they will be deploying a “strict no-bag policy” Monday night at Madison Square Garden, where president Donald Trump will be in attendance for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
“Fans should make every effort to limit personal items to an absolute minimum,” the team said. “Fans should expect enhanced security measures when entering Madison Square Garden, including TSA-style screening procedures.”
The Knicks also advised getting to the game two hours early to make sure to leave enough time to get through security, and referred to a Secret Service list of banned items.
Trump said Friday that he would be at Monday’s game, and previously said he was invited to watch the team by Knicks owner Jim Dolan. A Knicks spokesperson could not be reached for comment about whether Trump is paying for tickets to the game or whether they’re being comped by the team. The White House also did not immediately respond to an inquiry about this distinction, or who will be attending the game with the president.
The get-in price for Monday night has hovered around $11,000. Asked about high ticket prices on Friday, Trump said, “They can watch it on television….That’s the way life goes.”
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has also said that he plans to be in attendance Monday night, although in a “very different section of the stadium.” Mamdani said he paid for his own ticket.
There will be no watch party at the plaza near Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks say that the watch party permit issue has nothing to do with Trump’s visit.
“The permit for the Plaza33 Game 3 watch party was denied by the City’s permitting office in consultation with the NYPD,” an MSG spokesperson said. “However, the White House will confirm that this is not about the President. We understand NYPD Commissioner Tisch is planning additional street closures around Madison Square Garden.”
The NYPD, though, says that it was indeed about security issues related to Trump. “There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only,” a police department spokesperson told FOS. “This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit. We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”
The Knicks’ website lists watch parties at Central Park and a Brooklyn music venue for Monday night.
Mamdani announced Monday morning that there would be another watch party at Bryant Park, about half a mile north of the arena. In a release, City Hall said that the new event “was added by Mayor Mamdani after the U.S. Secret Service and the NYPD determined that a watch party could not be held outside Madison Square Garden due to the heightened security requirements associated with President Trump’s attendance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals.” The Bryant Park event will be free but require the first 5,000 fans to register in order to attend.
For an event of this magnitude, local and federal officials are collaborating on security.
“The U.S. Secret Service and the NYPD have been working jointly for days on a comprehensive security plan for Game 3. Final details are being completed today,” Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi told Front Office Sports on Sunday.
“Attendees will notice a significant and highly visible law enforcement presence, including the NYPD, federal law enforcement personnel, tactical teams, counterassault assets, and countersniper teams,” the spokesperson added. “Security efforts also include substantial behind-the-scenes measures that may not be visible to the public, including undercover personnel, advanced detection technology, integrated camera systems, and other protective capabilities. Physical security enhancements are being installed around Madison Square Garden, including anti-scale fencing, vehicle mitigation barriers, crowd-control infrastructure, and other protective measures designed to ensure a safe and secure environment.”
While Trump is a born-and-raised New Yorker, an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden might be considered something of a road game for him. He has gotten thunderous applause at SEC football games and UFC events during his presidencies, but this is a situation where there will be intrigue about the crowd reaction.
Trump was once a fixture at Knicks games. He was shown on TV during the 1994 Knicks-Rockets Finals, and on one occasion in the 1990s, Charles Oakley famously fell in his lap.
“I think the Knicks have an amazing team, the way they played—started off slow and just got stronger and stronger,” Trump told reporters Friday.
A source tells FOS that ESPN/ABC plans to show Trump during Game 3 at MSG, in line with how the network typically shows current/former presidents at sporting events. The broadcast may not do so, however, if he isn’t visible for the cameras during the game.
Monday’s game is scheduled to tip at 8:30 pm Eastern. When Trump attended the US Open men’s final in September, the match was delayed by 30 minutes because of the security surrounding Trump’s visit.
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