James and the Cavaliers pushed up their '16 White House visit to make it before Obama left officeNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Players and coaches from both the Warriors and Cavaliers yesterday made it clear that the winner of the NBA Finals will "not be visiting the White House" following the season, according to a front-page piece by Marla Ridenour of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL. Cavaliers F LeBron James said, "No one wants the invite, anyway." Warriors F Kevin Durant agreed with James' sentiment and said, "We get it at this point. It’s good that guys are sticking to what they believe in and what they want to do. Like guys said before me, I’m sure whoever wins this series won’t be going." Warriors coach Steve Kerr: "The president has made it pretty clear he’s going to try to divide us, all of us in this country, for political gain. So it’s just the way it is. I think we all look forward to the day when we can go back to just having a celebration of athletic achievement and celebrate Americans for their achievement, their good deeds." Ridenour notes the statements came a day after President Trump rescinded an invitation to host the Eagles at the White House for a celebration of the team's Super Bowl LII victory. Celebratory visits have been an issue in the NBA since Warriors G Stephen Curry said a year ago that he had "no interest in going and James supported Curry on Twitter." The Cavaliers "pushed up their White House celebration" of the '16 championship to November '16 so it "could be made before Barack Obama left office." Warriors F Draymond Green suggested that maybe the tradition "needs to stop if Trump is going to continue to rescind the invitation" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 6/6).
NOT A BIG SURPRISE: THE RINGER's John Gonzalez wrote it is "not new or surprising that prominent NBA figures spoke out against the president and his decision." James, Durant and Warriors G Stephen Curry were "simply reiterating the sentiments both their teams have expressed over the past year." it is now "expected that whenever Trump makes or tweets a controversial statement, there will be public and forceful pushback from members of the NBA" (THERINGER.com, 6/5). NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole said, "I don't know that you'll ever see an NBA team go to see Donald Trump" ("The Happy Hour," NBC Sports Bay Area, 6/5).
STRICTLY ACADEMIC: Villanova AD Mark Jackson said that the school "hasn’t yet heard from the White House" about visiting to celebrate the '18 NCAA men's basketball championship. He added that "logistical hurdles come into play with the players" from the team "now scattered." In Philadelphia, Mike Jensen notes North Carolina's '17 title-winning men's basketball team was "invited but did not attend," as a "mutually-agreeable date" could not be agreed to. South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley initially said that he team would go to the White House after winning the '17 women's basketball title, but when an invitation "didn’t arrive for months, the issue became a non-issue." The team eventually "declined" an invite when it "did arrive for a November ceremony with other championship teams" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/6). Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, Kent Youngblood reports the WNBA Lynx, in lieu of receiving an invitation for a fourth White House visit, will "attend a local school" in DC, where they will "give away socks and shoes and spread goodwill" in partnership with the nonprofit Samaritan's Feet. It is "unclear whether the team would have gone to the White House had it been invited" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/6).
THINGS CHANGE: THE HILL's Brett Samuels wrote while championship teams have "visited the White House dating back at least 50 years, the decision to accept an invitation from Trump has become politically perilous" (THEHILL.com, 6/5). POLITICO's Ben Strauss writes teams visiting the White House since Trump took office has become a "handy test of allegiance in the nation’s culture wars." Seemingly every title-winning team gets the "loaded question: Will it show up at Trump’s White House?" Politics in the past had "begun to creep into the championship shindigs," but the "drip has become a geyser in this new era of Trumpian politics." Strauss notes many people are "concerned about the future of presidents hosting athletes." Presidential historian Robert Dallek: "It’s the least political thing a president does, inviting a popular team, a championship team to the White House. You think you’d never see anything like it, but this President turns it into a scandal" (POLITICO.com, 6/6).
