Smith told viewers on ESPN on Wednesday that Dolan “has an attitude with players because they don’t want to go to the White House,” as relayed by Mediaite in its account of the segment. He called the Knicks owner “a walking embodiment of petulance” and “as petty as they come.”
Smith acknowledged he had not heard the complaint from the players directly, framing it instead as what was circulating around New York and Madison Square Garden.
June: Dolan said yes on live radio
Dolan announced on WFAN on 17 June that the team had taken the invitation, in comments reported by CBS News.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan told the station.
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He went on to tie the decision to his personal relationship with the president, whom he had invited to Game 3 of the Finals at Madison Square Garden, the only game the Knicks lost in a 4-1 series win over the San Antonio Spurs.
“He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House,” Dolan said.
July: Brunson said the team hadn’t discussed it
A month later, Dolan’s star point guard offered a different version. Jalen Brunson told Variety in July, in comments picked up by Fox News, that the squad had not addressed it internally.
“That’s something that we actually haven’t discussed as a team,” Brunson said. “People are making assumptions and saying everything, but together we haven’t discussed it yet. And so we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
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The team then issued a line of its own to Variety: “The Knicks remain neutral on political matters.”
Head coach Mike Brown kept the same holding pattern on 29 September, telling reporters the matter was still being discussed internally.
No NBA champion has gone during a Trump term
The sticking point sits inside a longer pattern. Last season’s champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, did not visit in 2025, citing scheduling issues. In Trump’s first term, the president withdrew the invitation to the 2017 Golden State Warriors after Stephen Curry voiced reluctance to attend; when the Warriors won again in 2018, no invitation was extended at all.
Dolan has pushed against that current from the start. He invited Trump to Madison Square Garden in June, and he invited the players onto a plane to Washington in the same week. Four months on, only one half of that invitation has stuck.
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The dispute arrives with the Knicks already off balance. The defending champions dropped their opening three games of the 2026-27 season before beating Detroit 111-97 on Tuesday, and Smith aired the theory that the White House stand-off is feeding the slow start, without pointing to any reporting from inside the locker room.
No visit date has been set.
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