New York will be hosting the NBA Finals after 27 long years. The likes of Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet, Anne Hathaway, and Larry David are expected to occupy front-row seats on Madison Square Garden’s “Celebrity Row” come June. And with a tingling sense of rare excitement running through the city, Donald Trump also revealed that he’d be interested in breaking one of his own 12-year streaks.

The Knicks vs. Cavaliers game in 2014 was the last time Trump attended a game. It was at MSG. But two days ago, the POTUS told reporters, “I think I’ll be going to one of the games.” He revealed that multiple people, including Knicks owner James Dolan, had invited him. Zohran Mamdani, who’s been a familiar face in the Knicks arena, also expressed interest in watching a couple of Finals games. The Mayor, though, didn’t waver in his messaging about meeting Trump.

Speaking to TMZ, Mamdani said he’s “feeling great” about the Knicks. But he is unsure if he will attend Game 3 or 4. “I’m going to be watching the games, I can tell you that much.” The Knicks do not have home-court advantage to start the series and will open on the road. The Mayor was also asked if he would sit alongside Trump. “If the president went to a game, I’d let him. That’s his decision to make. If I go to the game, I’ll be doing so separately,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani even remained coy about the MSG fans’ status, whether they will boo or cheer for Trump if he attends Game 3 on June 8 or Game 4 on June 10. “New Yorkers, we are an unpredictable people,” the Mayor said with a smirk. “I think I’d make a fool of myself if I wanted to make a prediction.”

Actually, this isn’t the first time the Mayor has addressed a Trump question in the last 24 hours. Prior to the TMZ interaction, a reporter straight-up asked Mamdani whether the POTUS’s appearance would be a “bad luck charm” for the Knicks.

“I’m not going 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.”

Trump had revealed that attending a June game was not part of the initial plan. He wanted to attend Game 5 of the Conference Finals at MSG. But the Knicks finished the Cavaliers off in four games. And now, if you’re an odds fan, Polymarket predicts a 67% chance that Trump will attend the NBA Finals.

“We don’t know if President Trump is coming to the finals, but the President of the United States, no matter who is in office, is always welcome at all our venues,” an MSG spokesperson said in a statement. Trump has made a habit of attending major sporting events, including the college football national championship and a New York Yankees game on September 11. He also attended the U.S. Open men’s singles final last year.

As recently as last week, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced the president at a rally in New York, saying, “What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here.” But… It’s worth noting that no NBA champion has visited the White House during Trump’s tenure. However, not too long ago, he spoke positively about the New York team’s NBA run.

“Well, I am [a Knicks fan]. I get along with Jim Dolan, I think he’s a really nice guy,” Trump said. “He’s entitled to a good team because he’s suffered a little bit. And boy, some of these players have turned out to be great players. Philadelphia is a tough team… their center [Joel] Embiid is a big guy, and you thought those games would be good, but they were winning by 35 points. No, I really like Jim Dolan a lot. I’m really happy for him and the team. I think it’s great.”

On the other hand, although Mayor Mamdani remains busy with his schedule, he previously attended Game 2 of the Conference Finals against the Cavaliers. He kept his attendance off his public schedule, later posting a photo with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams inside the Garden with the caption “Knicks forever.”

As a matter of fact, Mamdani was sitting in the nosebleeds, not courtside, with tickets worth $700. A spokesperson later revealed that he actually paid face value for the ticket. The Mayor hasn’t openly said no to attending a Finals game. This might just be his way of keeping his next appearance discreet as well.

Mamdani even tweeted in celebration of the Knicks reaching the Finals, writing, “.@NYCSanitation I’d like to report a sweep.” Funnily enough, alongside thousands of locals responding to him, NYC Sanitation’s official handle played along. “CLEAN UP IN CLEVELAND!!” they commented! His trash talk towards the Cavs has garnered 11+ million views in the last three days, and he remains an unexpectedly popular face who has often shown up for his New York team.

But the Mayor now faces a tough decision about watch-parties held outside MSG. Before the Conference Finals ended, the Police Department issued a statement that it would not support outdoor gatherings of thousands of home fans right outside the NBA arena.

Naturally, that has angered many people, given the sentiment behind making the Finals after decades. Knicks talisman Jalen Brunson didn’t really have an answer when reporters asked him to find a solution to the watch-party crisis.

According to SeatGeek data, the average Finals ticket in NYC costs around $6,000. Meanwhile, sports analyst Darren Rovell confirmed that two courtside tickets sold for a staggering $279,804. It rules out attending games for many people who aren’t willing to spend thousands just to get into the arena.

That brings all eyes to Mamdani’s verdict.