Due to scheduling conflicts and COVID-19 concerns, a trip to meet President Joe Biden has not been scheduled around the Lakers’ road game against the Washington Wizards on April 28, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike. Road games against D.C. teams are typically when defending champions visit the White House. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that a future visit has not been ruled out completely, though you have to wonder if the Lakers will ever again be assembled in D.C. before a new champion is crowned in July.
the Lakers were looking into a visit around the Wizards trip and that players and management were enthusiastic about the possibility, but noted that logistics and COVID-19 protocols had to be figured out. This is yet another aberration of the typical post-championship for the Lakers, who did not receive the customary parade through their city, for obvious reasons. The development is a reversal from the expressed wishes of Lakers star LeBron James and other players. Shortly after Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, an enthusiastic James said he looked forward to taking his tequila and win to the White House:
Lakers veteran Jared Dudley also said he believed the team would want to make the trip, though noted the players hadn’t yet discussed the possibility. Biden had expressed similar enthusiasm, saying he would love to carry on the tradition of receiving champion sports teams, but noted COVID-19 as an obstacle. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in February both the Lakers and Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers would receive invites, with yet another disclaimer about COVID safety. NBA champion has not visited White House since 2016.
Even though the Lakers clearly wanted to visit White House, it now looks like they will continue a drought of NBA White House visits that reaches back to the Obama administration. Unsurprisingly, not a single NBA champion visited the White House during Trump’s term.