LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers will not visit the president Joe Biden at the White House to celebrate the 2020 NBA championship when the team travels to Washington, DC, to play the Wizards later this month, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
Calendar issues and protocols for Covid-19 will prevent the visit between April 27 and 28, when the Lakers are in the nation’s capital for the Wizards game; however, a future meeting and greeting with the 46th president of the United States were not ruled out, the source added.
No NBA team has commemorated its title with a visit to the White House since LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were honored by the former president. Barack Obama in November 2016, a few days later Donald Trump will win the presidential election to succeed Obama in the oval office.
Asked in January if the Lakers plan to resume their traditional league visit after the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors refrained from traveling during the Trump administration, James said it “would be great,” but added “no. an idea “whether it was feasible during the pandemic.
Shortly after Biden defeated Trump in the November general election, Warriors player Draymond Green tweeted to James, “You can go to the White House and celebrate the G title!” James replied, “We’re back there, my G! I’ll have tequila and wine!”
The Lakers could not enjoy the typical festivities that accompany a championship because of the coronavirus. The team did not have a parade and has not yet unveiled the 17th championship banner in the history of the franchise, instead of wearing it in a black cape on the opening night with the message: “Stay tuned, Lakers family.”
The owner of the Lakers, Jeanie Buss, announced that the banner will be unveiled on May 12 before the last Los Angeles game of the regular season against the Houston Rockets, when fans are there to enjoy it. The Lakers played their first game in front of Staples Center fans against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, receiving a capacity of 1,915, about 10% of their capacity of 18,997.