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The New York Knicks’ NBA Finals run has sparked major buzz amid the 2026 TV schedule, as fans seemed hyped about the prospect of the beloved team winning a championship title. With that, various devotees have been making their way to Madison Square Garden to watch the games, including superfan Timothée Chalamet and the highly enthusiastic Mariska Hargitay. Most notably, U.S. President Donald Trump attended Game 3 and, after he missed Game 4, Jimmy Fallon surprisingly had some jokes.
Unlike some of his late-night TV cohorts, Fallon isn’t known for getting overtly political during his monologues, so it was somewhat unexpected to see him drop a few zingers at POTUS’ expense. Fallon addressed the Knicks’ latest matchup against the San Antonio Spurs during the opening monologue of the June 11th edition of The Tonight Show. Fallon set up his first joke by talking about the high cost of tickets before delivering the punchline:
The highest priced was over $100,000, and Knicks fans were willing to pay double if Trump stayed home.
President Trump’s trip to MSG initiated a lot of discussions about the merits of the Commander-in-Chief being present at such an event and how it might impact the proceedings. Trump went viral while taking in the game and, when introduced during the event, he was booed by other attendees. Ultimately, the Knicks lost that game to the Spurs, and some pundits, including sportscaster Stephen A. Smith, blamed that on Trump’s presence. As for Fallon, he merely joked about Trump’s absence from Game 4:
Yep, President Trump decided to skip tonight’s game, but he said, ‘Don’t worry, Knicks fans, I’ll be sleeping there in spirit.
That jab referenced the fact that President Trump ironically fell asleep while taking in Game 3, which was actually a relatively tense game. Although Fallon took shots (no basketball pun intended) at the president, he didn’t spend too much time roasting the commander-in-chief. In fact, during that same episode, Fallon later spoke more about the Knicks, specifically his own experience sitting courtside at the event. Check out Fallon’s take:
As it stands, the aforementioned NBA team is doing what it can to keep the stars present at MSG, as the organization is apparently giving away free tickets to celebrities. The notion is that the presence of A-listers is meant to add to the entertainment value of attending a game. I could certainly imagine that team owner James Dolan and co. are getting their money’s worth, given we’ve reached the point where even Taylor Swift is showing up to root on the Knicks. It’s possible that more than a few Knicks fans could show up at Game 5 in San Antonio, as the New York-based team has the chance to clinch the title then.
Otherwise, the action will return to MSG for a potential Game 6 and, if the Knicks were to hoist the coveted Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy at home, that arena would be even more electric than it’s already been. Whether or not President Trump would make another trip to NY for that theoretical game is hard to say. If that happens, though, viewers may want to keep their eyes peeled in case Jimmy Fallon or other late-night personalities have thoughts (and jokes).
Game 5 of the NBA Finals airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
