New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani dodged a question about whether President Donald Trump is a “bad luck charm” for the Knicks, even as Trump has said he plans to attend a Knicks Finals game at Madison Square Garden.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was midway through Thursday’s press conference when the Knicks came back into the conversation—this time, with President Donald Trump at the center of it.
The question was simple enough on the surface: did Mamdani think Trump was a “bad luck charm” for the team?
It wasn’t asked in a vacuum. Earlier this week. the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers to earn their first trip to the NBA Finals in almost 30 years. With the team now nearing the title. Trump said Wednesday that he planned to attend a Finals game at Madison Square Garden. He also said he wanted to go to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals—but the Knicks wrapped that series in four games.
Mamdani, attending Game 2 of the conference finals, was asked whether he might join Trump at the Finals.
“You know. if the president comes to watch the Knicks. I’ll leave the president to watch the Knicks as he wants to watch the Knicks. ” Mamdani said. “You know, I’ve been lucky enough to go to a few games this season. Recently, I was at a game with the Public Advocate [Jumaane D. Williams]. It was lovely to be in the nosebleeds. and we’ll see where I end up in the future. but I’ll be sure to let you know once I know.”.
When the reporter followed up—pushing on whether Trump was truly a Knicks fan or simply a “bad luck charm”—Mamdani kept his distance from the personal verdict.
“I’m not going to, to do any analysis of the president’s fandom,” Mamdani continued. “I will say that anyone who wants to come and watch the Knicks, and pray that [Landry Shamet] keeps making those 3s, and we see ‘Captain Clutch’ out there on the court, I think everybody should be welcomed there.”
For now, Mamdani’s message was clear even if his answer wasn’t: if Trump shows up for the Knicks, the mayor is willing to let the basketball play out—without passing judgment on whether the president brings good fortune or bad.
Zohran Mamdani Donald Trump New York Knicks NBA Finals Madison Square Garden Cleveland Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals Landry Shamet Jumaane D. Williams