Welp, yet another NBA Championship team is skipping the traditional White House visit.
This time, the Wokelahoma City Thunder hasclaimed through a spokesperson to The Athletic,a "timing issue" is the reasoning behind not being able to allow America to recognize their incredible accomplishment. Sounds very Team USA women's hockey-esque, right?
"We have been in touch with the White House and we are appreciative and grateful for the communication we have had, but the timing just didn’t work out," the Thunder said in a statement shared with The Athletic.
Team USA women's hockey gold medal team said something similar:
"Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate."
What is that "timing issue"? The Thunder played a game Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York, don't play the Washington Wizards until Saturday, and don't play again until Monday vs Philadelphia, an hour flight away. Get out of here with that lame excuse.
I'd respect this team and others more if they were just straight up about not wanting to visit the White House because they disagreed with Trump and his administration about certain policies and/or decisions. Claiming a "timing issue" is weak and unfortunately, par for the course for the NBA.
For decades, it has been a longstanding American sports tradition for championship teams, including NBA champions, to visit the White House to be recognized by the sitting president, regardless of political affiliation or cultural issues unfolding. The practice dates back to the 1960s for NBA teams, when the Boston Celtics visited after a title run, and it became a largely ceremonial, bipartisan celebration of athletic achievement regardless of political differences.
While most teams historically accepted these invitations, individual players, especially in the NBA, have increasingly declined for personal or political reasons. These men, many mouthpieces for the Democrats, have treated what used to be an honor as some sort of divisive, political endorsement.
It's not breaking news, during the presidency of Donald Trump, this tradition has become more politically charged, with several NBA champions either declining invitations or indicating they would refuse to attend, if they happened to win a championship.
Source: The Latest & Most Breaking News With OutKick
