US President Donald Trump was loudly booed before seemingly falling asleep during an NBA Finals match at Madison Square Garden earlier today… because life’s about balance!
Trump was one of multiple notable figures, alongside Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller, who attended the basketball game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at the famed venue.
Footage from the match shows Trump projected on the Jumbotron while standing for the national anthem as a chorus of boos and jeers echoed throughout the stadium.
Trump booed very loudly here at MSG pic.twitter.com/IeQwwqGtop
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) June 9, 2026
The president was shown on the screen for about eight seconds before it panned to a Knicks player, who received widespread cheers from the audience.
Trump reportedly copped multiple rounds of boos throughout the game, with outlets reporting that some fans also heckled and hurled obscenities at him.
Further into the game, more footage appeared to show Trump dozing off while sitting in his courtside booth.
In clips that are already doing the rounds online, he can be seen closing his eyes and dipping his head for almost a minute before reopening his eyes, glancing around, and re-focusing on the game.
Donald Trump looks like he’s falling asleep during Game 3 of the Finals
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 9, 2026
(h/t @CalltoActivism) pic.twitter.com/hFjYoRxJq7
“Bringing half your cabinet courtside just to take a historic nap is wild,” one X user wrote in response to the clip, while others joked that Trump “paid thousands for a premium snooze”.
Trump’s appearance at the game — which marked the first time a sitting president had attended an NBA Finals match — was controversial from the get, with Spurs player De’Aaron Fox saying the president’s security detail made “it inconvenient for everybody else”.
For his part, NBA commissioner Adam Silver welcomed Trump’s attendance. “What makes sports so special, especially when there’s so much that divides people, is that it’s something we have in common,” Silver told ESPN.
“Yes, there’s some inconvenience to the fans, but looking around at the arena, it’s packed,” he added.
It’s not the first time Trump has seemingly caught some Zs at an inopportune moment, with the president appearing to fall asleep during an Oval Office meeting about the coal industry earlier this week.
Ironically, that’s a topic of convo that keeps the rest of us up at night.
Trump appears to be completely passed out asleep during his 3pm Oval Office announcement pic.twitter.com/gKyNjvgZW3
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) June 4, 2026
One celeb doing the opposite of sleeping at the NBA game was Chalamet, who was spotted jumping from his seat and cheering loudly for the New York Knicks. Alongside that actor, the game also welcomed stars like Tina Fey, Spike Jonez and Tracy Morgan.
It’s far from the only time Trump has been booed, so I guess it’s become boring to the point of lulling him to sleep at this point?
Lead images: ESPN/X
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