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The New York Knicks have accepted an invitation to visit the White House following their historic NBA championship victory, team owner James Dolan confirmed on Wednesday.
Dolan, who is a longtime friend of Trump’s, announced the visit in an interview on WFAN sports radio, saying he had accepted the invitation from Trump and planned to bring the team to Washington.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details, etcetera.” He continued: “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.”
A White House official confirmed to NewsNation that the Trump administration “has been in touch with the Knicks” and looks forward to hosting the team at the White House. The date is to be determined, per the official.
Trump, a New York native and longtime Knicks fan, attended Game 3 of the NBA finals at Madison Square Garden alongside Dolan, becoming the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
The Knicks closed out the NBA Finals with a 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, securing its first title win in 53 years. The visit would also mark the first time an NBA champion team has visited the White House during Trump’s tenure.
Championship teams have traditionally visited the White House for decades, but the custom became increasingly politicized during Trump’s first term.
In 2017 Trump uninvited NBA All-Star Stephen Curry from visiting the White House after the Golden State Warriors point guard said he didn’t want the team to visit the White House to celebrate their NBA championship title.
Lebron James also publicly clashed with Trump in defense of Curry, calling the president a “bum” and saying the tradition of visiting the White House to celebrate NBA champions “was a great honor until you showed up.”
Dolan, who has maintained a longstanding relationship with Trump and personally invited him to attend Game 3 of the Finals, said he was proud to bring the championship winners to Washington. Trump repeatedly praised the Knicks throughout their playoff run and has described himself as a big fan of the team.
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