Jalen Brunson isn't ready to say if he'll join Knicks at the White House
Jalen Brunson isn't ready to say if he'll join Knicks at the White House
Kristie Ackert, USA TODAYWed, June 24, 2026 at 9:52 PM UTC
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James Dolan is ready to take the NBA champion New York Knicks to the White House. Finals MVP Jalen Brunson isn't ready to say whether he'll be on that trip.
The Knicks owner, and longtime friend of President Donald Trump, said that the team has accepted an invitation to the White House. Brunson told New York Magazine the players had not even gotten to the conversation about it.
"We haven't discussed it," Brunson said. "But as a team, we'll discuss it and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Dolan was pretty definitive on WFAN, the day before the championship parade.
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"We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted," Dolan said. "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."
Trump became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game when he joined Dolan for Game 3. He sat in Dolan's suite and was booed the only time he was shown on the Jumbotron before the game. The Knicks lost that night, falling 115-111 to the San Antonio Spurs, snapping a 13-game winning streak. They went on to finish off the Spurs in five games and end a 53-year title drought.
Afterward, Trump congratulated the team on Truth Social, singled out Brunson and called the title maybe the greatest in basketball history.
Several champions skipped the traditional White House visit during Trump's first term, including the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 and the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder passed as well, citing timing. In 2017, Trump withdrew the Warriors' invitation after Stephen Curry said he was reluctant to go and several players across those teams cited disagreements with Trump's politics.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jalen Brunson noncommittal on Knicks' White House visit with Trump
Source: “AOL Sports”
