“I just can’t wait to hear him try to say the word Wembanyama,” the late night host joked.

Jimmy Kimmel says Trump should be rooting for Spurs in 2026 NBA Finals: ‘It’s what got him out of Vietnam’

"I just can't wait to hear him try to say the word Wembanyama," the late night host joked.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.

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June 6, 2026 12:24 p.m. ET

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Jimmy Kimmel; Donald Trump. Credit:

Disney/Randy Holmes; Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty

- Jimmy Kimmel believes Donald Trump should be rooting for the San Antonio Spurs over his hometown team, the New York Knicks, in the NBA finals.

- Trump recently announced that he plans to attend Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

- "This would be the first time Trump has appeared at a court in New York since being convicted of 34 felonies," Kimmel quipped.

Jimmy Kimmel doesn't need a court to dunk on Donald Trump when he wants to.

During Friday's episode of *Jimmy Kimmel Live**,* the comedian used Trump's recently revealed plan to attend Game 3 of the 2026 NBA finals to slam the president. In his opening monologue, Kimmel joked Trump should actually being rooting for the San Antonio Spurs over his hometown team, the New York Knicks.

"A lot of celebrities are expected to be at the Garden on Monday, including the biggest celebrity of all, a guy who draws bigger crowds than Martin Luther King and Elvis without even playing the guitar combined," Kimmel began his monologue. "President Trump said he is planning to go to New York for the day."****He continued, "This would be the first time Trump has appeared at a court in New York since being convicted of 34 felonies."

Jimmy Kimmel giving his monologue on June 5, 2026.

As Kimmel pointed out, Trump has made it known he’s a Knicks fan by sharing "AI slop of himself in a Knicks jersey dunking on New York Governor Kathy Hochul."

"Larry Turd with two hands on the ball," Kimmel said to his audience while showing the image. "The President wants to be there in person to support his hometown team and, if necessary, to overturn the results of the game."

While Kimmel joked that he "can't wait to hear him try to say the word Wembanyama," referring to Spurs' star player Victor Wembanyama, he noted that he believed it made more sense for Trump to be rooting for the Spurs to beat the Knicks rather than the other way around.

"You'd think Trump would be rooting for the Spurs, right? It's what got him out of Vietnam," the late-night host cheekily said, referencing to the medical exemption Trump got from the Vietnam War draft over bone spurs in his heels.

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While Trump's proposed presence during Game 3 will certainly prove interesting, sports fans have a lot more to look forward to with the upcoming games, with the Knicks first time in the finals since the '90s.

The Knicks have proven to be a formidable opponent for the Spurs, snatching another win against the latter during Game 2 and stealing another stolen home-court advantage with the road win.

OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks dunks the ball during Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 5, 2026.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty

The Friday game saw the Knicks surviving a late-game collapse with a 105-104 victory, extending their win streak to 13 games and marking them just two wins away from a long-awaited championship that's turned their hometown city upside down.

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The Knicks now have a shot at taking the title at home if they take go for a third sweep over the next two games, beginning with Monday's Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.

Watch Kimmel slam Trump over the NBA Finals above.

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Source: “EW Talk”