Stephen A. Smith claims Knicks owner James Dolan is pissed with players over potential White House visit
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Since they won a championship, questions have loomed about whether or not the New York Knicks will visit Donald Trump’s White House, and Stephen A. Smith has added to the rumors.
According to Smith, team owner James Dolan isn’t happy about the team not wanting to visit the White House. He discussed the matter during the Oct. 28, 2026, edition of First Take.
"The owner James Dolan has an attitude with players because they don’t want to go to the White House" – Stephen A. Smith on what he’s hearing about the New York Knicks pic.twitter.com/ufJtKvqPjK
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— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 28, 2026
Now, he conceded that he doesn’t know “how much truth” there is to the rumors, as he hasn’t heard from the players, but Smith has heard that they don’t want to go to D.C. for the traditional White House visit, and Dolan isn’t very happy about it.
“People have been a little bit stressed because the owner, James Dolan, has an attitude with players because they don’t want to go to the White House,” Smith said. “I don’t know whether this is true or not, but I’ll believe anything when it comes to James Dolan because he is a walking embodiment of petulance. This man is as petty as they come.”
He is “concerned” that this could change Dolan’s perspective. Despite the Knicks winning their first championship since he took over the team, Smith thinks he could hold a grudge and be okay with fans waiting decades for another title if the players don’t veto a White House visit.
Of course, Dolan is a friend of Trump. They sat together during Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, the only game the Knicks lost in the series. More than likely, he wants to visit the White House.
Fans will have to wait and see how things turn out. Previously, Knicks captain Jalen Brunson said it would be a team decision. It doesn’t sound like the team is on board with visiting the White House. This came after Dolan claimed the team accepted the invitation days after winning the NBA Finals.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.