NEW YORK — Despite what aides described as ‘a grueling, politically-charged ordeal,’ former President Donald Trump emerged from Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday evening with a surprising review: basketball is, against all odds, still ‘great entertainment,’ even if the players insist on passing the ball to the left every few minutes.

“Listen, I’m here for the dunks, not the woke layups, okay?” Trump told a scrum of reporters outside Madison Square Garden, clutching an autographed basketball and a commemorative foam finger reading ‘Make Layups Great Again.’ “Frankly, the NBA is a little left-wing, but the athleticism? Very strong. Tremendous. Could use more three-pointers from the right side, that’s all I’m saying.”

Republican strategist and courtside observer Biff Huckenlooper said he was shocked Trump risked exposure to such flagrant liberalism. “There were at least four players on the Knicks bench reading Ta-Nehisi Coates at halftime,” Huckenlooper claimed. “But the President bravely clapped when appropriate and only booed when he spotted a player wearing Nikes.”

NBA spokesperson Lisa Dunkman welcomed Trump’s attendance, stating, “We’re just glad he didn’t attempt to storm the court demanding a recount of the points in the third quarter.”

When asked if he’d return, Trump shrugged. “It’s not the 1980s NBA, but I’m willing to watch again if they promise to stop using the phrase ‘full-court press.’ Sounds too much like the mainstream media, folks.”

Meanwhile, the league has reportedly considered renaming the ‘pick and roll’ to the ‘fair and balanced swap’ to placate bipartisan spectators.