New York Knicks player Jose Alvarado he was nearly ousted by the former Mayor of NYC Michael Bloomberg during Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
The 28-year-old Knicks guard collided with the 84-year-old politician in a scary moment in the fourth quarter of the all-important game at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Monday, June 8.
Alvarado was charging after the ball when he flew into the first row, apparently knocking Bloomberg off his courtside seat. Several nearby fans quickly arrived to check on Bloomberg, including an NFL legend Eli Manning and the favorite of the New York Yankees Derek Jeter.
When Alvarado got out of the jam, he patted Bloomberg’s knee and asked if he was okay. The former mayor appeared shaken but nodded “yes” to Alvarado as the courtroom action resumed.
“As Alvarado walks into the stands, he looks at former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg,” the play-by-play announcer said. Mike Breen explained to ABC viewers.
Analyst Richard Jefferson then joked, “You never know who you’re going to meet at a Knick game!”
The clash may have been indicative of a tough quarter ahead for the Knicks, as they went on to lose 115-111 to the San Antonio Spurs. (The Knicks still hold a 2-1 lead in the 2026 NBA Finals going into Thursday’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.)
Jose Alvarado and Michael Bloomberg during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Dustin Satloff/Getty ImagesMonday’s game was as eventful as it gets Cardi B performed his hits “Bodega Baddie” and “Bodak Yellow” during a special half-hour show at the world’s most famous stadium.
The president Donald Trump he also went to Game 3 with his grandson, Kai Trump. The New York City crowd gave Trump a tepid reception as he was doused with water during his jumbotron appearance before Monday’s game.
Before game 3, a conservative activist Ann Coulter criticized Trump for attending the game because of how it would affect businesses around Madison Square Garden.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wasted no time in rubbing the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals performance in the face of Ohio native and 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Shortly after the Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday, May 25, Mamdani, 34, posted on social media again. […]
“Of all the selfish, selfish things that Trump has done, going to MSG to see the Knicks play in person on Monday night is the worst,” Coulter, 64, wrote on X on Sunday, June 7. for taxpayers), traffic will be a disaster – all so that he can sit in the garden instead of watching the game on TV.”
Trump reportedly left his luxury box seven minutes before the start of the fourth quarter. He was sitting with the owner of the Knicks James Dolan after receiving a personal invitation to attend an NBA Finals game.
Other prominent members of the public who attended Game 3 included a Knicks superfan Timothée Chalamet, Jay-Z, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay, Larry David and the current Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani.
