Knick's legend Bill Bradley: Trump is ‘second fiddle’ to fans

President Donald Trump may plan on drawing attention to himself by seeing the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden for the 2026 NBA Finals, but one former Knicks player and politician says he will never upstage Knicks fans.

Trump is “second fiddle” to the main attraction because "the people are there to see these two teams play," former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ) told CBS News on Monday. "And what is compelling about the teams are the values they display like unselfishness, discipline, resilience, the kind of things that we need more of in our world at large."

Bradley spent 10 seasons in the NBA playing for the Knicks, winning two titles in the 1969-1970 and 1972-1973, which are also the last championships that the Knicks ever picked up.

"If you think of your teammate first and yourself second, that's an important thing that the Knicks today and the Knicks in the past demonstrate," Bradley explained when asked what the current Knicks time has in common with the ones for which he played. "If you're disciplined, you're not just flying off but you're playing to plan; that's another thing. So this is not rocket science. It's what a team does if they want to be a champion. And I think this team has the makings of a champion."

He also said that Madison Square Garden is a special place to play because of the attitude and behavior of the fans.

"They applaud the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the basket,” Bradley said. “They applaud boxing out on rebounds. They applaud the subtleties of the game. And they are deeply enthusiastic and loyal and dedicated to their team, and I think you'll see that in the arena tonight, as you have in all the other games."

The Knicks are currently ahead of the San Antonio Spurs with two wins to their zero wins, and the first team to win four games are declared champions.

"If the Knicks go in 3-0, I mean, I know I'm gonna be there on that fourth game expecting them to be crowned champions that night,” Bradley said. “And there'll be millions of other people who will think the same thing."

Bradley clearly hopes that his team will be able to deliver the goods for their longtime fans, who have waited more than half a century for this moment.

"It gives them something to hope for,” Bradley said. “It gives them something to believe in."

When Trump shows up on Monday night, it is widely expected that he will be greeted with a chorus of boos. According to the Washington Post reporter Dan Diamond, Trump is "widely expected to be showered with boos" even though he was invited by Knicks owner James Dolan.

"Some sports fans and analysts have urged Trump not to attend the game — commentator Stephen A. Smith said it would create an unnecessary spectacle — or pledged to jeer the president," Barrett explains in the Post. "Online betting services also predict Trump will be booed in his visit to deep-blue New York City and the Knicks' arena, Madison Square Garden. The team's fans are famously unforgiving — quick to taunt rival players, the team's own stars and recent New York mayor Eric Adams just days after his inauguration."

Barrett concluded, "As an added frustration, Trump's presence will create logistical hurdles for the roughly 20,000 other attendees, who have been told to arrive at least two hours before tip-off because of the enhanced security measures that follow the president."