Trump becomes first sitting president to attend NBA Finals game - ESPN

NEW YORK — Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals when the New York Knicks hosted the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the championship series at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Trump arrived before tip-off and mingled with Knicks owner James Dolan, several members of his cabinet, and his granddaughter, Kai Trump, in a box suite. The suite, which was located at the back of the arena's lower bowl, was surrounded by protective glass, one of several additional security measures enacted to facilitate his appearance.

Trump, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, stood and saluted the flag during the National Anthem, drawing boos when he was shown briefly on Madison Square Garden's jumbotron.

While Trump and high-profile basketball stars such as LeBron James have exchanged social media barbs over the years, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Trump was a «genuine Knicks fan» who was «welcome» at the most-anticipated NBA game in New York since the Knicks' last Finals appearance in 1999.

«What makes sports so special, especially when there's so much that divides people, is that it's something we have in common,» Silver told ESPN's «Inside the NBA» during a pregame interview. «We should look for those things we have in common and build off that.»

Trump's Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. He encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs saying «Trump must go.»

During the afternoon before Trump's arrival, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service set up a large perimeter surrounding