As of right now, Donald Trump will be attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight (June 8) to watch the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs live from Madison Square Garden.
However, fans were devastated to learn that there would not be a watch party outside of the famed venue.
Several statements have been released about the watch parties being canceled, with many pointing to Trump’s attendance as the reason why
An MSG spokesperson said in a statement (via ESPN), “The permit for the Plaza33 Game 3 watch party was denied by the city’s permitting office in consultation with the NYPD. However, the White House will confirm that this is not about the president. We understand NYPD Commissioner Tisch is planning additional street closures around Madison Square Garden.”
The NYPD then released a statement, giving fans hope that there could be a watch party for Game 4.
Their statement read, “There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only. This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit. We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”
A secret service agent further explained why the watch party was canceled
Special Agent Matt McCool of the U.S. Secret Service’s New York field office released a statement explaining.
“After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden due to the security requirements associated with an event of this scale and the need to maintain a secure environment for protective operations,” he said.
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