Al Bello/Getty Images
- The NBA Finals returned to New York on Monday night as the Knicks hosted the Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
- Game 3 marked the first Finals game at Madison Square Garden in more than two decades.
- Here are the celebrities, sports personalities, and business executives we spotted at the NBA Finals.
The NBA Finals returned to New York for Game 3 on Monday night, drawing a star-studded crowd to Madison Square Garden as the Knicks hosted the Spurs.
San Antonio defeated New York 115-111, cutting the Knicks' series lead to 2-1. Game 4 is set for Wednesday.
Here are the politicians, business executives, celebrities, and sports personalities we spotted at the NBA Finals so far.
President Donald Trump and Kai Trump
SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden alongside his granddaughter, Kai Trump.
During a pregame interview on the "NBA Tip-off," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that Trump was a guest of Knicks' owner James Dolan.
"He's welcome to be here. I think that's what makes sports so special, especially when there's so much that divides people. It's something that we have in common," Silver said.
Silver also called Trump a "genuine Knicks fan" and said that the president's attendance at Game 3 had prompted heightened security at Madison Square Garden.
This marks the first NBA Finals game attended by a sitting US president, per ESPN. The president is no stranger to major sporting events, having attended the Super Bowl and the US Open during his time in office.
Zohran Mamdani
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was also spotted arriving at Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3.
In a video shared on X by The Athletic, Mamdani was seen fist-bumping fans as he entered the arena.
Michael Bloomberg
Geoff Burke/Reuters
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg attended Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
He briefly found himself in the middle of the action when the Knicks' point guard Jose Alvarado tumbled into his courtside seat while pursuing a loose ball.
A video posted on X by the New York Post showed Alvarado checking in on Bloomberg and giving him a pat on the chest before returning to the game.
Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Timothée Chalamet
Al Bello/Getty Images
Longtime Knicks fan Ben Stiller attended Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio before returning to support the team for Game 3 in New York.
Stiller was seated courtside alongside his wife, Christine Taylor, and fellow Knicks supporter Timothée Chalamet, who had also attended the first two Finals games in San Antonio.
Jeremy Lin and Spike Lee
Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
Filmmaker Spike Lee has followed the Knicks throughout the Finals, making the trip to San Antonio for Games 1 and 2 before showing up for Game 3.
In an interview with ESPN before the match on Monday, Lee said he had read that his seat for Game 3 could have fetched a hefty sum on the secondary market.
"It went down, but it was half a million," Lee said.
In 2024, Lee was recognized as a SuperFan by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He has held New York Knicks season tickets since 1985, per ESPN.
The filmmaker was also photographed posing with former Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, who attended the game.
Tracy Morgan and Tina Fey
Al Bello/Getty Images
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was spotted courtside with Tina Fey, both wearing Knicks jerseys in support of the home team. The longtime friends and former "30 Rock" costars have also been seen together at previous Knicks games.
This time, they were seated next to Stiller, Taylor, and Chalamet.
Morgan has long been one of the Knicks' most outspoken celebrity supporters. In a May video with Complex Sneakers, Morgan said he bought the team two pairs of Nike Kobe 5 "Bruce Lee" sneakers each in 2024.
"Just to let them know I'm part of the fanbase and we appreciate what they do," Morgan said in the video.
Morgan recently lent his voice to special New York City subway announcements encouraging fans to take the train to Knicks watch parties and home games at Madison Square Garden.
Jay-Z
Al Bello/Getty Images
New York native Jay-Z, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, was among the celebrities in attendance at Madison Square Garden.
Derek Jeter
Baseball icon Derek Jeter attended Game 3.
During his 20-year career with the New York Yankees, Jeter helped lead the team to five World Series titles before retiring in 2014.
Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni
"Law and Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay and her former costar Christopher Meloni were also at the game on Monday night.
Knicks captain Jalen Brunson has previously spoken about being a fan of the longtime crime drama.
"I've always loved that show," Brunson said during a May 2025 episode of "The Roommates Show" podcast, which he hosts with his teammate Josh Hart.
Larry David, David Zaslav, and Robert Kraft
SAUL LOEB / AFP
Larry David was seated courtside next to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president David Zaslav and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
In July 2024, The Athletic reported that the NBA had reached a new 11-year, $76 billion media rights agreement with Disney, NBC, and Amazon — a deal that ultimately brought Warner Bros. Discovery's 35-year partnership with the league to an end after the 2024-25 season.
At a Morgan Stanley conference in March 2025, Zaslav said Warner Bros. Discovery was better off investing in its own franchises rather than sports rights, which he described as a "rental business."
Celebrity sightings from Game 2
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Game 2 of the NBA Finals took place on Friday, and there were several familiar faces back in the crowd, including Stiller, Lee, Morgan, and Chalamet — all of whom were also at Game 1.
Twelve-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul was among the attendees at Game 2. He played for the Spurs during the 2024-25 season and brought his son, Chris Paul II, to the game.
Celebrity sightings from Game 1
Screengrab by Steven Tweedie.
The NBA Finals tipped off on June 3 at Frost Bank Center in Texas.
The Knicks, making their first Finals appearance in more than two decades, opened the series with a 105-95 victory over the Spurs.
Several notable Knicks supporters were in attendance, including Stiller, Lee, Morgan, and Chalamet.
They were joined by former New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, one of the hosts of the NBA Finals pregame show "NBA Tip-Off" and the postgame show "Inside the NBA."
Disney board member Bob Iger, Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro were also present at the game, together with Silver.
During the broadcast, the commentators for the night joked that the men made up a "murderers' row of executives." The NBA Finals air on ABC and are produced by ESPN, two Disney-owned networks.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/tXsrZh9
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