Charles Barkley Doesn't Think Knicks Were 'Jinxed' In Game 3

There was no shortage of Knicks fans who believed that President Trump's very presence at Madison Square Garden would serve as some sort of jinx in Game 3. So when the Knicks actually lost to the Spurs and saw their postseason winning streak snapped, many blamed the Commander-in-Chief.

But not Charles Barkley.

Speaking to Adam Glyn after the game, Barkley did not consider it fair to place the blame on President Trump for the Knicks failing to get the win. He said that the Spurs simply outplayed the Knicks and that "jinxes" had nothing to do with it.

"No, (expletive) no. That had nothing to do with it. I thought the Spurs outplayed them," Barkley said.

The Presidential Jinx?

Barkley has had no shortage of things to say about President Trump in the past and most of them have been negative. But when it comes to basketball, he's prioritizing what goes on on the court as opposed to the superstitions of people who watch the game and don't play it.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith vehemently disagrees though. Smith was railing against President Trump's presence at Madison Square Garden for days, believing that he would disrupt the vibes or worse. Of course, there were plenty of other complaints levied at the President:

"Broke the Knicks' streak, ruined the local watch party, and made fans wait two hours in security lines. Classic," one user wrote on X.

"The Knicks play their worst game in a month and a half, the 13-game win streak is over, the refs call the worst game imaginable. Proving once again that everything Trump touches turns to (expletive)," wrote another.

"Knicks couldn't withstand the Trump Jinx."

"And so the 'Trump Jinx' is born.

The Knicks' defeat in Game 3 certainly serves as a confirmation bias

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 11:08 AM.