The New York Knicks are facing fresh questions about a potential White House visit, with ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith claiming that team owner James Dolan is unhappy with players who may not want to attend.

Smith acknowledged that he had not confirmed the story directly with the players, but his comments have put the reported disagreement under the spotlight.

Stephen A. Smith Shares Unconfirmed Claim of Rift Between James Dolan, Knicks Players Over White House Visit

Smith shared the claim while discussing the atmosphere surrounding the Knicks, making clear that he was passing along what he had heard rather than reporting a confirmed decision from the players.

“This is what I’ve been hearing, and I’m going to say it,” Smith explained on Wednesday’s episode of First Take. “I don’t know how much truth there is to it because I haven’t heard from the players directly.”

“One of the things that people have been talking about around New York City…is that the climate has been a little bit different; people have been a little bit stressed. The owner, James Dolan, has an attitude with players because they don’t want to go to the White House.”

Smith did not stop there and made his opinion of the Knicks owner clear, saying, “I’ll believe anything when it comes to James Dolan because he’s a walking embodiment of petulance. This man is as petty as they come.”

He went on to question Dolan’s motives, adding, “This guy Dolan, I don’t trust him. I don’t trust him one bit. He’s petty enough to have an attitude because he’s tight with Trump and wants to go to the White House and some of the players, if not most of them might not want to go.”

Smith suggested that Dolan’s close relationship with President Donald Trump could be part of the tension, arguing that the Knicks owner might be frustrated if players were reluctant to accept an invitation he wanted them to take.

The reported disagreement comes amid conflicting public statements about the visit. In June, Dolan revealed that the Knicks had received an invitation from the White House and accepted it.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson indicated that the team had not yet discussed the matter internally. “We haven’t discussed it,” he said. “But as a team, we’ll discuss it, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Head coach Mike Brown also said on Sept. 29 that the team was still discussing the matter internally, further complicating the picture of where the organization stands.

Dolan’s relationship with Trump is well known. The Knicks owner invited the president to attend Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, underscoring their connection, and appeared enthusiastic about the visit in June, when he received the invitation.

“He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years. And I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House,” he said during the June WFAN interview.

But the Knicks would not be the first NBA champions in recent years to skip such a visit.

The Golden State Warriors did not make a White House trip in 2017, while the Toronto Raptors did not visit in 2019 and the Los Angeles Lakers did not go in 2020. The 2025 NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, reportedly could not visit due to scheduling issues.

The Knicks, meanwhile, could do without the distraction. The latest controversy arrives as the defending champions scramble to steady a season that’s already off to a shaky start.

They earned a 133-127 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, led by Brunson’s 38 points. Still, the team’s 2-3 start has left plenty of questions to answer, and a possible rift between the team and its owner could be detrimental to the Knicks’ 2026-27 season.