Category: Basketball

President Donald Trump was booed, loudly and at length, when he appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden Monday night.

The arena had been chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” as Avery Wilson began to sing The Star Spangled Banner. The Trump’s face appeared on the screen for the first time since he had entered the arena, saluting the flag and the arena erupted in boos.

While the booing was clear on the ABC broadcast, people inside the arena also posted videos capturing the booing.

The Athletic's Esfandiar Baraheni recorded the moment it turned.

Trump booed very loudly here at MSG pic.twitter.com/IeQwwqGtop

— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) June 9, 2026

The White House press pool put it plainly: “loud and long.” The crowd didn’t let up until the camera moved and found Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

New York Post editor Mark Hale caught the booing from a side angle.

President Trump booed during National Anthem of NBA Finals Game 3 pic.twitter.com/bimQuNGgIX

— New York Post (@nypost) June 9, 2026

WFAN host Evan Roberts also caught the reaction to the president from his seats.

pic.twitter.com/YYKb63OGhm

— Evan Roberts (@EvanRobertsWFAN) June 9, 2026

Fans caught the booing as well.

Trump booed in NYC pic.twitter.com/vQFnDJhIWk

— SNEAKO (@sneako) June 9, 2026

One reporter said the booing for Trump was worse than the boos for the San Antonio Spurs.

They showed Trump on the Jumbotron during the anthem. He got more boos than the Spurs. pic.twitter.com/nYq69hGPiS

— Albert Samaha (@AlbertSamaha) June 9, 2026

Even outside the arena, Trump was booed. The watch party at Bryant Park was loud too.

Crowd at Bryant Park watch party also booed President Trump. pic.twitter.com/aV3bTxqbRa

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 9, 2026

Trump wasn’t rattled, at least not publicly. Boarding Air Force One after the game, the president told reporters, “I think it was mostly cheers. It was loud. And it was enthusiastic.”

Madison Square Garden waited 26 years to host an NBA Finals game, but the home fans saw a loss on Monday night when the San Antonio Spurs beat the Knicks in Game 3 to trim New York’s series lead to 2-1. After the game, there were multiple reports of Knicks fans physically attacking Spurs fans on the streets. The viral videos of the assaults are so ugly that Victor Wembanyama, Karl-Anthony Towns, and others players pleaded with fans to stop the violence.

In separate incidents, Knicks fans jumped men wearing Spurs jerseys around the city after the loss. The videos are horrifying. This is totally unaccepted behavior from some stupid, young members of the fanbase. No should should be assaulted just because they are wearing another team’s jersey.

The videos elicited a response from star players on both teams. Here’s Wembanyama’s comments on the incidents, via ESPN:

“My thoughts of course [are] that we can’t forget it’s a game,” Wembanyama said. “We’re just playing a game out there. I am all for passion, but [with] the respect of each other. It’s unacceptable.”

Spurs teammate Julian Champagnie added: “I feel like, for the fans, it should never be that serious where you have to jump people, beat people up, follow people home. Whether we win, they win, it doesn’t really matter. Everybody should be able to come and enjoy the game, no matter who they’re rooting for.”

Towns encouraged fans to “Leave the physicality to everyone on the court.”

Warning: The video below contains violence that readers may find disturbing.

Obviously this is not all Knicks fans, but a few bad apples are the giving the fanbase a bad reputation. This type of behavior is never acceptable.

Game 4 is Wednesday. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen again.

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The San Antonio Spurs have officially made the 2026 NBA Finals a series after taking Game 3 on the road in Madison Square Garden. However, their victory may have come at a heavy cost. After reviewing a first quarter shove of New York's Jalen Brunson by Victor Wembanyama, the league's head of officiating, Monty McCutchen, has admitted they missed a foul call on the play. Even worse for San Antonio is that it could turn into a retroactive flagrant.

NBA head of officiating Monty McCutchen, appearing now on ESPN, acknowledges that a foul was missed on Victor Wembanyama's first-quarter shove of Jalen Brunson and says the league's review is still ongoing regarding whether the play will be deemed a retroactive flagrant foul. https://t.co/W4wAe20h0F

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 9, 2026

While there is no trouble just yet, Wembanyama has put himself in danger with this foul. Should the league upgrade it to a flagrant 1, Wembanyama would be subject to suspension if he were to commit another similar foul.

Wembanyama's absence from the Spurs would almost certainly mean defeat in the NBA Finals. Wembanyama cannot afford to play so recklessly for the remainder of the series.

Here's what to know about the foul and what it could mean for the Spurs.

The Dallas Mavericks are trying to figure out what direction to go in this offseason, especially after the dismissal of head coach Jason Kidd.

The decision to move on from Kidd suggests that the Mavericks might be trying to go in a brand new direction, which could lead to a total youth movement that’s led by Cooper Flagg. However, veterans like P.J. Washington, who was crucial to the team’s 2024 NBA Finals run, remain on the roster and provide value both on the court and in trade talks.

ESPN analyst Zach Kram questions whether the Mavs would trade Washington this offseason or keep him on the roster.

“Washington is a great stylistic fit next to Cooper Flagg in Dallas’ frontcourt. Now the only question about his place in the Mavericks’ starting lineup is whether they keep him to try to win next season — with a healthy Kyrie Irving back in the fold — or trade him for picks or young players who are closer in age to Flagg,“ Kram wrote.

Washington signed a four-year extension worth $88.76 million last September, and it kicks in at the start of the season. He’ll make just under $20 million this season, with a pay bump to $21.3 million, then $22.9 million, followed by $24.5 million in the final year of the contract for the 2029-30 season.

It’s a pricey contract, but for someone who averages 14.2 points and seven rebounds per game, the value is fair. Given the contract extension, the Mavs could ask teams for an expensive offer right now and his value might not exceed where it currently is.

At the very least, general manager Mike Schmitz needs to listen to offers if they come in, but they shouldn’t shop him at the moment. Let the offers come to them and then make a move if the price is right.

Mavs Moneyball community, what do you make of Washington’s future with the team? Let us know in the comments below.

As the team that demolished the Sixers out of the 2026 playoffs continues playing for a championship, Philadelphia’s new brass is under no delusions on how far they are from contending for one.

In his introductory press conference, president of basketball operations Mike Gansey gave a frank assessment on where he thinks his new team is, one that Bob Myers would agree with in a media availability an hour later.

“They got swept in the second round, so it’s not a championship-caliber team right now,” he said, “but we’re going to work on that.”

Gansey went on to explain that getting the core four of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid and Paul George on the court will be central to that. The presence of those last two has become quite the topic of debate amongst the fanbase. The current CBA already makes it hard to fill out a roster built around maxing out stars, but Embiid and George only being able to get on the court for about half the games makes it a Herculean task.

Gansey had to field multiple questions about balancing the potential long term of Edgecombe and Maxey while having the veterans Embiid and George under contract.

“I don’t look at it as a timeline, I just look at it like, we have those four and we have to maximize those four,” Gansey said. “Obviously, Tyrese and VJ are younger, but Paul and Joel can still play at a high level.”

He went on to cite the 24-14 record the team had when Embiid played this season, as well as their first-round series comeback win over the Boston Celtics. The commitment Gansey showed in his presser to the top four players on this roster could be seen as a contradiction to the organization’s view that this team is not ready for true contention.

As awesome as their success was against Boston, they were worn down by the time they reached the second round. The bench being too thin combined with a front office that was too stingy to provide any sort of reinforcements led to an ugly sweep.

For at least the very beginning of Gansey’s Sixers tenure, he has no choice but to present confidence. Whether it’s best for VJ Maxx to dump Embiid and George as quickly as possible or see what kind of support they can give the backcourt as they play out their contracts is a debate worth having several times over this offseason. Regardless of which path Gansey thinks is right, it’s in his best interest to show belief in this core as it currently stands.

“They’re our four guys, they’re under contract. We got to do the best to get them to their best self,” Gansey said, “because I think every night at 7 p.m., we got to get them to their best to help us win.” 

That’s true whether Gansey has a deal to trade Embiid or PG tomorrow or not. Whether it’s hoping to turn those guys into a bunch of medium-sized contracts, or waiting until Edgecombe hits his prime as their contracts expire, this is a large ship that Gansey has to turn around.

The re-tool, re-vamp, whatever it is, is not going to be as straightforward as hoping to land a star at the top of the draft as Sam Hinkie’s capital P process was. A difference in Gansey’s favor though is that he certainly inherits more building blocks to start out. It’s clear Gansey values some pieces that are here.

Now it’s time to see just how much exactly.

Players from both teams in the NBA finals have condemned apparent attacks on San Antonio Spurs fans by supporters of the New York Knicks.

Videos circulating on social media showed Spurs fans having their jerseys ripped off on the streets of New York in the aftermath of the Knicks’ loss in Game 3 of the finals at Madison Square Garden.

“My thoughts of course [are] that we can’t forget it’s a game,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said when told of the incidents. “We’re just playing a game out there. I am all for passion, but [with] the respect of each other. It’s unacceptable.”

Related: NBA finals: Wembanyama silences Garden’s party as Spurs beat Knicks in Game 3

According to CBS News, 21 people were taken into police custody, with eight arrested, after Monday’s game in violence related to the NBA finals.

Several members of the Knicks expressed their disquiet about the behavior of some of their fans.

“The game is built off of respect and passion,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We want everyone to respect each other. We want everyone to enjoy basketball at its purest state. It’s the NBA finals. There’s no better place to watch basketball. Leave the physicality to everyone on the court.”

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie grew up in New York but said he had not felt threatened walking around Manhattan during these finals. He did, however, say fans should moderate their behavior.

“I feel we’re here to play a basketball game. That’s the main thing,” he said. “I feel like for the fans, it should never be that serious where you have to jump people, beat people up, follow people home. Whether we win, they win, it doesn’t really matter. Everybody should be able to come and enjoy the game, no matter who they’re rooting for.”

A watch party outside Madison Square Garden was cancelled for Monday’s game due to enhanced security measures because of Donald Trump’s attendance. Several other outside gatherings took place around the city without serious incidents.

The Knicks host the Spurs again on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks, chasing their first NBA championship since 1973, lead the series 2-1.

Josh Hart said it perfectly while talking to reporters after the Knicks’ practice on Tuesday, “We knew they weren’t just gonna lay down and let us win four straight.”

Hart, of course, was referring to the San Antonio Spurs who recovered from losing the first two games at home in the NBA Finals by beating New York in Game 3 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden and putting the pressure on the Knicks who are up 2-1 heading into Wednesday’s Game 4.

“We knew this was gonna be a battle,” Hart said. “They played very well and you gotta give them credit for that.”

Still, in the loss, the team’s first since April 23, New York made some uncharacteristic mistakes that it wasn’t making during its 13-game winning streak. 

Perhaps the most obvious was the amount of turnovers – the Knicks had 13 to the Spurs’ eight which led to San Antonio scoring 21 points. Jalen Brunson had five turnovers by himself and emphasized not turning the ball over as a way to improve the team’s flow offensively.

“Our attention to detail needs to be better,” he said.

“We were making turnovers that were uncharacteristic of us, just being sloppy with the ball, not being on the same page,” OG Anunoby added. “Throughout the course of a game stuff like that happens so we’re just gonna try and clean it up.”

Turnovers are a part of the game and there’s no escaping them entirely. However, the goal is to cough up the ball fewer times than the opponent which New York had been doing an excellent job of during the playoffs.

Another thing the Knicks had done so well until Monday’s loss was moving the ball around and not being stagnant on offense. Yes, Brunson is capable of playing hero ball late in the game when his team needs a clutch bucket, but New York was running teams out of the gym in previous rounds thanks to its game speed and constant movement around the court.

But in Game 3 the Knicks had just 18 assists, their lowest total in the postseason and the first time they’d gone under 20 assists since their last playoff loss against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

“We gotta pick up the ball movement for sure,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “… We have 13 games in a row, 50 days of film to show what it looks like when we’re at our best so we got good film. We’ll get back to our fundamentals which makes us great and get back to work tomorrow.”

“We didn’t play to the best of our capabilities and I think that’s the frustrating part because we knew we didn’t play our best basketball,” Hart added. “We learned from film today and we’ll be better tomorrow.”

Hart dove into the benefits of watching film, not just from the loss to the Spurs, but in general as it can help players and a team quickly identify and correct mistakes or how to plan to counteract an opponent’s strengths.

“You wanna watch kind of as much film as you can or get as much information as you can to then go out there and play to that,” he said. “Obviously you want to play with your instincts as a basketball player that you’ve been playing the game for such a long time, but certain situations you want to have that information so certain plays you can try to deter them from getting to their spots.”

Despite losing Game 3, New York still leads the series and head coach Mike Brown mentioned that “nobody is panicking” in his “veteran group”. In fact, whether the Knicks won or lost on Monday night, nothing would’ve changed with their preparation on Tuesday for Game 4, a mentality they’ve been running with for a while now.

If anything, a loss, especially after such a long time without one, can bring out new ways to improve.

“Obviously I'm a firm believer that you can grow and learn a lot in wins, but you can do the same in losses, too,” Brown said. “... Everybody is disappointed that we didn't go out and execute and play to what we feel our standard is. 

“That's not taking anything away from San Antonio, but we feel like we can play a lot better than what we did. We're looking forward to going out on the floor and showing it.”

“Each game, no matter what the situation is, we're growing as a team,” Brunson added. “I think we're learning and we're getting better… No matter what the situation is, we're going to stick together. We're going to execute, we're going to be better. That's just how our mindset has to be going forward.”

Victor Wembanyama clearly got away with a cheap shot in Game 3, and the Knicks haven’t forgotten about it.

In the first quarter of the Spurs’ victory at the Garden, Wembanyama tossed Jalen Brunson to the floor. No foul was called.

“I think that’s not basketball,” Jose Alvarado, the feisty reserve guard from Brooklyn, said on Tuesday. “That’s something that they gotta look at. But he got away with one. That’ll be the last one.”

It is possible for the NBA to retroactively rule it a flagrant foul, although as of Tuesday afternoon, that had yet to happen.

Wembanyama was already assessed a flagrant two foul earlier in the postseason against the Timberwolves for throwing an elbow at the throat of Minnesota forward Naz Reid, giving him two penalty points.

Four points triggers an immediate one-game suspension. So if he was retroactively assessed a flagrant one — that is one penalty point — he would have to be careful to avoid missing a game in the Finals.

Brunson has not directly commented on the play. When asked about it after Game 3, he said: “Whatever you saw is what you saw.”

As the New York Knicks chase glory in the 2026 NBA Finals, their fan base's passion has been on full display, manifesting itself in inventive and sometimes downright quirky gestures that capture the essence of New York fandom.

Ahead of Game 3, one superfan named Jake Epstein took team spirit to a new level, vowing to repeat Jalen Brunson's name 100,000 times before tip-off. He set up outside the 34th Street subway entrance just steps from Madison Square Garden. Despite his unsuccessful attempts to score a ticket, Epstein’s energy was undeterred, chanting “Jalen Brunson” for hours on end.

Seated comfortably in a folding lawn chair, Epstein held a handmade sign reading, "Saying Jalen Brunson 100,000 times." Beside him, a laptop kept an official tally, its screen clearly visible to passersby who stopped to witness the spectacle.

More: Will Trump return for NBA Finals Game 4? What we know after buzzy Game 3 appearance

Epstein told USA TODAY Sports that the inspiration for his quirky marathon chant came after watching viral video stunts by internet personalities such as Mr. Beast. Motivated by a desire to channel that same spirit of fun and community, he recruited two close friends to join him, scouted a prime spot outside MSG and set up a livestream that kicked off at 8:40 a.m.

The journey wasn’t without challenges. Intermittent rain and spotty internet connections threatened to derail the attempt. Yet, as the hours passed, Epstein said his determination drew a growing crowd of supporters. Strangers offered high-fives and words of encouragement. The scene reached a new level of excitement when actor and comedian Ben Stiller stopped by, snapping photos of Epstein and later sharing them on social media.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The bond LeBron James has with the Lakers is unlike any other he has with his former teams. LeBron has been with the Lakers for eight years, making this his longest individual stint with any franchise.

During that time, he’s won a title, reached two Western Conference Finals and been an All-NBA player. But with Luka Dončić now the clear franchise player and Austin Reaves set to be the team’s No. 2, that puts LeBron in a strange spot of no longer being LA’s top priority.

Now that he’s played an NBA record 23 seasons, he is an unrestricted free agent and has to decide if he wants to play a 24th and, if so, will it be with the Lakers?

So, for our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we ask, do Lakers fans want LeBron back next season?

The case for retaining LeBron is easy to make. This season, he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. He did that while playing in 60 contests, producing regardless of whether he was the top option or playing behind Dončić and Reaves.

Not only was he an All-Star and an All-NBA-caliber player, but in the postseason, he was the reason the Lakers beat the Rockets despite Luka being out and Reaves returning only for the last two games of the series.

LeBron was far and away the best player in that Lakers-Rockets series, and that includes Reaves and Alper Sengun, who is considered one of the best young bigs in the NBA.

This is clear proof that LeBron can still play at the highest level, and even if he is on a decline, the list of players above him is small, and the cost of a player of LeBron’s caliber is not cheap.

When looking at all this, letting a player like LeBron walk seems foolish. In doing so, the Lakers won’t get better, and whatever money they save on LeBron, they won’t be able to replace him with better players.

The counterargument, however, is that it’s time to move on.

This is now Luka’s team. Reaves is his backcourt partner, and while bringing back LeBron might work next year, it doesn’t make sense to commit big money to your third offensive option, who is also the oldest player in the NBA.

It’s better for the Lakers to turn the page on the LeBron era and leave him now that he’s still a productive player than to be in a situation where you are paying him while he begins a steep decline.

Also, the Lakers have a ton of cap space, roster spots and multiple first round draft picks they can trade to make their team better. This is an opportunity for them to be aggressive and improve their roster. Tying themselves up into a big three that went 1-7 against the Spurs and Thunder in the regular season is a tough sell as well.

But what do you think? Should the Lakers bring back LeBron and build around this core or is it time to move on and truly begin a new era of Lakers basketball?

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.