Late-Night Hosts Mock Trump for Falling Asleep During NBA Finals

President Donald Trump drew loud boos at Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks faced the San Antonio Spurs. His appearance quickly became a target for late-night comedy, with hosts Desi Lydic of The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon all turning the reaction into material. Lydic said fans gave Trump a “very New York welcome,” joking about the intensity of the booing and the city’s reputation for blunt, unsparing reactions. She also mocked the idea that Trump’s presence had anything to do with the Knicks ending a 46-day winning streak, while noting that the team said the “circus” around his attendance was not a distraction.

Lydic continued by playing a clip that appeared to show Trump falling asleep during the game, saying he could not sleep through it because he was the president, not referee Mark Davis. Kimmel also leaned into the moment, calling Trump’s attendance a historic disruption and saying he became the first sitting president to effectively shut down part of a major U.S. city in order to sit through the Finals in front of a sold-out crowd. He joked that the plan was flawed from the start, citing long waits for fans at the arena and canceled watch parties elsewhere.

Kimmel said the most anticipated question was whether Trump would be booed at the Garden. According to his monologue, the team tried to avoid that by showing Trump on the jumbotron during the national anthem, when booing is generally discouraged, but the tactic failed. He quipped that the reaction was among the loudest ever directed at a president at a sporting event. Kimmel also mocked the clip of Trump appearing to nap, suggesting the president was so disengaged that he fell asleep during one of basketball’s biggest stages. He added a jab that Joe Biden would have enjoyed seeing it.

Fallon also joined in, joking that Trump’s approval rating in San Antonio was now perfect and mocking the idea that Knicks fans blamed him for the loss. He said Trump, not wanting to take blame, would likely ask the NBA to find five additional points for New York. The overall late-night reaction framed Trump’s appearance as a noisy, awkward, and heavily publicized sideshow, with the crowd’s hostility and the team’s defeat becoming part of the story.