Knicks Fans Tell MS NOW They’re Fine With Trump Going to the Big Game: ‘The More the Merrier’

ESPN star Stephen A. Smith is irate about Trump hitting the Knicks game, but MS NOW talked to several other New York fans who did not seem to mind it one bit on Monday.

MS NOW investigative reporter Marc Santia talked to several Knicks fans while posted up in front of Madison Square Garden.

“The Knicks fans we talked to said, look, today is not about politics. It’s not about a watch party. It’s about being on the verge of history,” Santia said on Katy Tur Reports. 

They then played a few man-on-the-street interviews he did.

“The more the merrier. We’re going to find ways to be crazy, right?” fan Kyu Kim said while donning his Jalen Brunson jersey.”We’re going to be the Sixth Man, right? We’re going to make sure this doesn’t get back to San Antonio. So with Trump or not, doesn’t matter.”

That sentiment was shared by a few others.

“Just worry about the Knicks. Don’t worry about Trump and waiting in line for three hours,” fan Roger Verno said. “I’ve waited on line for three hours for many, many things. It’s worth it. The Knicks are worth it.”

He was referring to the beefed up security spurring the Knicks to tell fans to arrive to Madison Square Garden about two hours early on Monday night.

“You just got to roll with the punches. You can’t get involved with politics of it all,” fan Neil Goodman added. “The bottom line is it’s Knicks in four.”

For those who don’t follow sports, he meant the Knicks are going to beat the San Antonio Spurs in four games to win the NBA Finals. The Knicks have a 2-0 series lead.

Those fans stood out, considering CNN talked to several New Yorkers on Sunday who were bummed that Trump was going to the game. One fan said Trump shouldn’t go because — even though he’s a native New Yorker and a longtime Knicks fan — he’s “pooped on” the city too much in recent years.

The fans MS NOW spoke to also stood out compared to Smith, who has been griping for several days about Trump hitting MSG. He reiterated those gripes on Monday’s episode of First Take.

“This president has no business showing up in New York City. I am dead serious,” Smith said in a somber tone. “It is selfish, it is narcissistic, it is ridiculous that he is coming to this game.”

Trump’s announcement that he will attend the Knicks-Spurs game has drawn a fair amount of attention lately.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) attempted to mock Trump’s Knicks fandom recently — only to brick her quip.

Hochul said she’d like to see Trump name the starting lineup “from the 1993 championship team”… but the problem is the Knicks did not win the title that year. Any semi-knowledgable hoops fan — and especially a Knicks fan — could tell you the last time New York won the championship was in 1973.

Trump later posted an AI-generated picture of him sporting a Knicks jersey and dunking all over Hochul. 

And Mamdani was asked this week whether or not Knicks fans should boo Trump at the Garden; Mamdani dodged the question. 

“I think one of the things that I’ve learned is don’t give advice to other Knicks fans. they will make their own decisions,” Mamdani said. “I haven’t given anybody advice on how to respond to me.”

Knicks backup center Mitchell Robinson, meanwhile, seems pretty pumped up that Trump will be in attendance. Robinson told a fan on TikTok “you ain’t lying brother” in response to a video joking he will be hyper-active during the game with Trump watching.