UConn’s Dan Hurley floats White House basketball game after UFC event

UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley floated the idea of the team playing a game at the White House given the success of the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn.

Hurley was in Washington, D.C., and approached by TMZ, which asked him if he’d like to see a Huskies basketball game played on the White House lawn next.

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Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley stands with forward Alex Karaban and guard Solo Ball before playing the Michigan Wolverines in the men’s NCAA Tournament national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 6, 2026. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)

“That would be good,” Hurley said. “I think UConn should definitely be in it, UConn-Duke. … Yeah, it’d be pretty cool. I’m definitely down.”

The UFC fights coincided with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

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Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley talks with an official during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines in the national championship of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 6, 2026. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)

The estimated 4,300 in attendance, which included about 1,200 active-duty service members, greeted the president with loud cheers as the occasional “Happy Birthday” was shouted from the crowd.

The event kicked off with the Marine Band’s performance of the national anthem, sung by Zac Brown, and was capped off with a flyover by the Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds.

“It was beyond anything that anybody’s ever seen in sports,” the president briefly remarked to reporters as he departed the White House ahead of Monday’s G7 summit in France.

Head coach Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies reacts during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 4, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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Many of the fighters thanked Trump for having the “courage” to put on the spectacle, while the majority of victors jogged ringside to shake his hand or have a word after their respective bouts. The patriotic atmosphere set the tone for the remaining America 250 celebrations to come in Washington, D.C., later this summer.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.