On the heels of his team's first NBA championship in 53 years, New York Knicks owner James Dolan confirmed on Wednesday that the club will visit the White House at the invitation of President Donald Trump.
Rumors had circulated on social media over the last several days that the team had turned down Trump's invitation. However, Dolan, when asked about the matter during a radio interview on Wednesday, said the team would visit.
"As a matter of fact, thank you for asking me that, we just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted," Dolan said during an appearance on WFAN New York. "We still have to figure out the details, et cetera, but yes, of course. Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I've known him for 30 years and I'm very proud to bring the team to the White House."
The Knicks will become the first NBA champions to visit the White House under a Trump presidency, as all previous teams had turned down his invitations, dating back to his first term.
The 2017 champion Golden State Warriors were the first to turn down Trump's invitation, with head coach Steve Kerr saying at the time the team had no interest in visiting the White House. Trump publicly lashed out against Kerr and star point guard Stephen Curry, infamously rescinding the invitation via social media. "Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team," Trump wrote in September 2017. "Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore the invitation is withdrawn!"
LeBron James, then playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, fired back at Trump's post, calling the president a "bum," adding that "going to the White House was a great honor until you showed up!"
The Warriors subsequently declined to visit when they repeated as champions the following year, and the Toronto Raptors declined both a visit to the White House and to the Canadian Parliament, citing scheduling conflicts. The 2020 champion Los Angeles Lakers declined to visit due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Milwaukee Bucks, Warriors, and Boston Celtics all visited the White House under President Joe Biden. The 2023 champion Denver Nuggets had planned to visit the White House, but scheduling conflicts led to a postponement. The rescheduled day conflicted with a regular season game, leading the team to forgo the visit altogether.
Following Trump's election victory in 2024, the 2025 champion Oklahoma City Thunder also declined the president's invitation, citing scheduling concerns.
Dolan, who invited Trump to attend Game 3 of this year's NBA Finals, has been a longtime supporter of the president. He sat alongside Trump during New York's 115-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on June 8, the only loss for the team during the series.
It is unclear whether any individual Knicks players will skip the White House visit, as players in the other four major North American sports leagues have done in the past. In 2025, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles saw several star players skip the team's visit, including quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
