Add The New York Post on Google Former MSNBC host Joy Reid outrageously compared New York Knicks owner James Dolan to a “plantation owner” for accepting President Trump’s invitation – saying it “hurts my heart” to think of the players being forced to visit the White House.
Dolan “definitely comes across as a plantation owner character, and the fact that he would want to see these proud black men ‘Yes, sir’-ing a racist president — it hurts my heart so much to even think about it,” Reid said during her “The Joy Reid Show” podcast on Tuesday.
“It wouldn’t be their fault, but it would be so, to me, demeaning,” the far-left talking head ranted.
Atlantic writer Jemele Hill, a guest on the show, agreed with Reid, who famously got the boot from MSNBC last year.
Dolan is “purposely putting them in the line of fire of an administration that has been openly hostile towards black folks and it’s messed up because the players will get the brunt of it because they’re the easy target,” she said.
Hill said Dolan’s acceptance of the invite seemed “very slave-y,” adding: “There’s a perverse thrill that comes with making black athletes, especially black men, look subservient, and that’s what this is at the root of it.”
Immediately after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, clinching their first NBA Championship title since 1973, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post: “Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!!”
The president, who attended Game 3 of the Finals at Madison Square Garden, called the playoffs “Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball.” He specifically praised “superstar” Jalen Brunson, as well as Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson.
A few days later, Dolan announced he had accepted an invite from Trump for the players to visit the White House, which would make the Knicks the first NBA team to do so under Trump.
“We still have to figure out the details, et cetera, but, you know, yes, of course. I mean, look, I invited the president to come down for the game, right? He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House,” Dolan said in a radio interview.
The decision was met with controversy, with several Knicks players declining to confirm whether they would meet with the president after their stunning title win.
The lefty co-hosts of “The View” trashed Dolan’s acceptance of the invite, arguing it puts political pressure on the players – though co-host Whoopi Goldberg gave a surprising defense of the plan, saying, “I want all those black men to stand in our house.”
During Reid’s podcast, Hill accused Dolan of “main character syndrome” and hypocrisy, saying he “shaded” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani but did not give Knicks players the same opportunity to share their political opinions.
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“I find that to be the height of hypocrisy,” Hill said. “Oh, so you could show up the mayor and you could talk s–t about the mayor, but they can’t talk s–t about the president. You’re making them go to the White House.”
Dolan took a dig at Mamdani after the mayor gave a long-winded speech at the Knicks celebration last week outside City Hall, saying: “I don’t need your vote, I don’t need to quote to you, right, about what happened here because if you’re real Knicks fans, you know it already.”
Hill argued it should be up to the athletes whether they want to visit the White House, adding that many players did not visit under former President Barack Obama and it was not a big deal – but contended Dolan is seemingly “forcing” his players to go.
“I also am tired of this whole narrative that this is about respecting the office. It’s like, the person in the office actually matters,” Hill said. “One thing that a lot of white people get the benefit of doing is being able to be politically neutral. Black people don’t get to be that.”
Trump also faced backlash when he attended Game 3, the one game the Knicks lost in the NBA Finals.
Fans were required to arrive hours early at the Garden – which is also owned by Dolan – due to heightened security measures, and some Trump haters accused the president of jinxing the game.
