Will the Knicks visit the White House after winning the NBA Finals in June?
That’s the decision the team is still making, as no announcement has been made about a potential championship visit. Knicks coach Mike Brown said in October that a decision would be made as a team, with opportunities to visit in either December or March when New York visits the Wizards in Washington D.C.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently added another layer to the conversation, claiming that he was told owner James Dolan — a close friend of U.S. president Donald Trump — wants the Knicks to go to the White House while the players are against the idea.
Smith, who isn’t typically an insider, admitted that he didn’t know whether what he was told was true, but word spread quickly enough for Knicks super fan Spike Lee to offer a take on the claim.
Here’s what Lee had to say.
Spike Lee gives candid take on Knicks’ White House decision
Lee told Variety that he hopes the Knicks turn down a White House invitation
“He can’t force them!” Lee said of Dolan when asked about the unconfirmed report by Smith. “It’s been years since the last NBA team has gone. They’re not going. I hope they don’t go! I hope they don’t go.”
Lee, who has taken aim at President Trump before, added that it “was not just an accident” that the Knicks lost the NBA Finals game Trump attended in June.
The Celtics are the last NBA champion to visit the White House, doing so during president Joe Biden’s term. The Thunder skipped a visit after their 2025 title, citing a “timing issue.”
No NBA champion has visited the White House during either of Trump’s terms. Three of four champions visited during Biden’s term, with the Nuggets the exception, but the Cavaliers‘ visit with Barack Obama in 2016 was the most recent for an NBA team before Biden took office.
Whether the topic of a White House visit is actually a source of contention for the Knicks is still unclear, but it’s no surprise Lee will not be part of any visit that might take place.
