Spike Lee took a subtle dig at Donald Trump with his outfit at Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker and lifelong fan of the New York Knicks, 69, sat courtside Monday night while the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Knicks 115-111. It marked the first loss for the Knicks in the NBA Finals and the first game attended by Trump, a native New Yorker who watched the Madison Square Garden game from a box he shared with Knicks owner James Dolan.
Sitting in Trump’s direct line of sight, Lee sported a custom Pope Leo XIV jersey after receiving it at the Vatican in November. The blue number 14 jersey bears the signature of the first-ever American Pope — who has already butted heads with the Trump administration during his first year as the leader of the worldwide Catholic church.
Pope Leo has been outspoken in criticizing Trump’s Iran war, along with his immigration policies. In response, Trump has accused Pope Leo of being “weak on crime” and said that he is “endangering Catholics.” Trump’s Vice President JD Vance, who is a converted Catholic, also weighed in on the feud and said in April that Leo should “be careful” when discussing theology.
Despite the president’s repeated criticism, the Pope said he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and said he does not want to debate Trump.
Lee did not mention anything about the clash between Trump and Leo when he spoke about wearing the jersey, but told CNN that he had previously worn it during a first-round Knicks win against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Do The Right Thing filmmaker said that he plans to wear the custom jersey again at Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which is set for Wednesday.
During his conversation with CNN, Lee also called out Trump for his controversial decision to attend Game 3 and said that his presence was an unnecessary distraction.
“I can‘t speak for all disciples. But, I just find it strange that this had to happen now,” Lee said. “You’ve got to get there two hours early. I mean... it‘s taking the focus off. We haven’t won [a championship] since 1973! It should be about the game tonight.”
Trump’s attendance prompted a security crackdown at MSG consisting of a strict no-bag policy at the iconic venue, along with “TSA-style screening procedures.” Fans were warned to bring as little as possible and encouraged to arrive at least two hours before the scheduled tip-off.
To top things off, all watch parties outside the game were banned amid the president’s attendance — so it came as no surprise when frustrated Knicks fans loudly booed Trump when he was shown on the Jumbotron during Monday night’s game.
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