The NBA boss defended Donald Trump's appearance at the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden last night while flanked by stony-faced pundits, including Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.

Adam Silver was asked about the President's visit, which gridlocked Midtown Manhattan, forced the cancellation of a fan watch party and made spectators arrive two hours early for security. 

The commissioner pushed back on criticism, stating that sport was an important way to bring people together and adding that Trump had been a Knicks fan all his life and attended many games over the years. 

'I found out because [Knicks owner] Jim Dolan invited [Trump] to the game and he said yes, and he's welcome to be here. I think that's what makes sports so special, especially when there's so much that divides people,' Silver told Ernie Johnson, host of the ESPN show Inside the NBA.

He added, 'You guys remember when you played here back in the old days, he had courtside seats. He was here all the time ... He's a genuine Knicks fan. And so, yes, there's some inconvenience to the fans, but looking around this arena, it's packed.'

Silver's defense sparked an online backlash, with viewers convinced former NBA players Barkley, O'Neal, and Kenny Smith did not share his view. 

'Adam Silver is the worst commissioner in pro sports history. Look at the disgust on everyone else's face,' one commenter said on X.

Another wrote: 'Please look at Shaq, Kenny and Chuck's faces the whole time Adam Silver is talking about President Trump. This is gold.' 

A third said: 'The faces, Juan, record the faces.'

Trump grinned through a chorus of boos as his face appeared on the jumbotron during the national anthem.

The President was later seen in an animated discussion with Silver in the executive suite laid on by Dolan, a Republican donor and the owner of Madison Square Garden.

Johnson is not known as partisan, but made clear in 2016 that he had voted for neither Trump nor Hillary Clinton, backing Republican John Kasich instead. 

He said after Trump's win that he was disappointed by the tone of the campaign, framing his view through his Christian faith in an on-air monologue in which he said he was 'praying for America.' 

Barkley, who has voted Democrat for most of his life, is staunchly anti-Trump and has criticized the President on issues such as immigration, but has also been hostile to liberals' political strategy and stated in 2016 that he would not vote for Clinton.

O'Neal has previously described Trump as a friend and called him a 'straight-up guy', framing their relationship as personal rather than political. He teamed up with Michelle Obama in 2020 for a voter registration drive. 

Smith's politics are harder to pin down, but he joined colleagues in 2020 in walking off the Inside the NBA set in solidarity with players who staged a walkout during the Black Lives Matter protests. 

Trump was asked by a reporter before boarding Air Force One last night what he thought of the reception he received from the fans.

'I thought great. I thought it was amazing, actually. It was I think mostly cheers,' Trump said.

However, it wasn't such an amazing night for the Knicks, who lost 115-111 against the San Antonio Spurs. Rapper Cardi B performed at the halftime show. 

The Knicks lead the NBA Finals 2-1, with the teams returning to the Garden for Game 4 on Wednesday.