Thunder Official Announcement: Will Not Follow Tradition to Visit the White House Due to Scheduling Issues

On March 21 Beijing time, a spokesperson for the NBA defending champion Thunder stated that the team will not visit the White House as customary during their weekend away game against the Washington Wizards. The spokesperson mentioned that the Thunder had communicated with the White House regarding celebrating their 2025 championship victory, but "scheduling issues" prevented the visit from taking place.

In a statement released to The Athletic, the Thunder stated: "We have contacted the White House and greatly appreciate the communication, but the timing was indeed not suitable."

NBA championship teams visiting the White House is a long-standing tradition that began in 1963 when the Boston Celtics visited after winning the championship the previous year. Teams typically visit when their regular-season schedule brings them to the capital. The Thunder won their first championship for Oklahoma City last June after a seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers, and they will face the Wizards in Washington at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday.

The last NBA championship team to visit the White House was the Celtics, who visited in November 2024 after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in June 2024 to win the championship. The president at that time was Biden.

During Trump's first presidential term, the topic of sports teams visiting the White House often sparked controversy. The Warriors decided not to visit after winning in 2017 (Trump later tweeted that the invitation was withdrawn). The Warriors, who won again in 2018, were not invited to visit, but under Biden's administration, they visited the White House to celebrate after winning in 2022.

In 2017, the University of North Carolina men's basketball team, and in 2018, the NFL Philadelphia Eagles, also declined invitations or had invitations revoked after winning championships during Trump's first term. Several other championship teams simply did not receive invitations. In 2023, the college football champion Georgia Bulldogs declined to meet with Biden.

In 2022, before winning the championship, the Thunder visited the Biden administration's White House to participate in policy discussions and watch a documentary about the team's Tulsa after-school program. Now, with the playoffs starting in less than a month, the Thunder, with a record of 55 wins and 15 losses, are ranked first in the West and are poised to defend their championship.

Last month, the U.S. men's hockey team, after winning the gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, was invited by Trump to attend the State of the Union address. The team also met with Trump in the Oval Office and had lunch at the White House.

Trump also invited the gold medal-winning U.S. women's hockey team to attend the State of the Union, but the team declined citing "scheduling conflicts with previously established academic and professional commitments."

Trump congratulated the men's hockey team after their 2-1 overtime victory over Canada for the gold medal. In a video of the call posted on social media, he remarked that if he didn't invite the women's team, "he might be impeached," which drew intense criticism.