Spike Lee hopes the Knicks won't visit the White House, warns owner 'can’t force them'

Director Spike Lee told Variety he hopes the New York Knicks will refuse to meet with President Donald Trump, as other teams have done after winning championships.

The Knicks won the 2026 NBA Finals by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the championship series in June, ending a 53-year title drought for the franchise. Lee, a devoted Knicks fan and critic of Trump, was asked by Variety's Marlow Stern about reports that some players did not want to visit the White House and would rather skip the longstanding tradition.