Knicks Accept Invitation to Visit White House

The New York Knicks have accepted an invitation to visit the White House following their first NBA championship win in 53 years. Owner James Dolan confirmed the decision during a radio interview on Wednesday, stating that the team had received and accepted the invitation from President Donald Trump.

Dolan mentioned that he invited Trump to attend Game 3 of this year's NBA Finals, where the president sat alongside him during New York’s loss. The Knicks will become the first NBA champions to visit the White House under a Trump presidency, as all previous teams had turned down his invitations.

The Golden State Warriors were the first to decline in 2017, with head coach Steve Kerr expressing no interest in visiting. President Trump publicly lashed out at Kerr and star point guard Stephen Curry, rescinding the invitation via social media. The Warriors declined again in 2018, followed by the Toronto Raptors citing scheduling conflicts. The Los Angeles Lakers declined due to COVID-19 complications, and the Denver Nuggets postponed their visit which was later canceled.

It remains unclear whether individual Knicks players will skip the White House visit, as has happened with other championship teams in major North American sports leagues. For instance, several star players from the 2025 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles skipped their team's visit to the White House.

The decision by the Knicks to accept the invitation has sparked mixed reactions. Co-hosts of 'The View' discussed the implications, with some expressing concern that it puts pressure on the players. Sara Haines argued that accepting the invitation places undue burden on the players, as their boss and owner extended and accepted the offer.

Whoopi Goldberg defended the team going to the White House, emphasizing the importance of Black men standing in the house and reminding people about history. She stated, 'I want them to go. I want all those Black men to stand in our house and remind all of those people, as we try to remind the vice president, that when you try to destroy one part of history, you're destroying all of our histories.' Sunny Hostin noted that previous NBA teams refused to go while Trump was president due to his tendency to politicize events.