LeBron James, Stephen Curry Agree on One Thing: NBA Champs Will Skip White House Visit
LeBron James and Stephen Curry are fierce rivals on the court right now, with the 2018 NBA Finals heading into Game 3. Despite being on opposing sides, however, both agree on one thing — a White House visit for the champs will not be needed.
This year, President Trump will not have to disinvite whichever teams emerge as the NBA 2018 champions like he recently did with the Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, this Monday. Both James and Curry have already made it clear that if their respective team should win it all this year, their celebration will not include the traditional visit to the White House.
A visit to the White House as part of the championship celebrations have been a tradition dating back to 1963, when President Kennedy met with the Boston Celtics to congratulate them for the championship that year, as the New York Times recalled.
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So far, Trump has not yet met with an NBA championship team since he took office. Curry and the Golden State Warriors as a team were opposed to a White House visit in September last year, something that the president took into account when he withdrew the invitation in 2017.
It will be the same case this year, although Trump will need not bother with extending then withdrawing an invite. This early on, both the leaders of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors are leaving out the trip to the White House as part of their celebration plans.
"I know whoever wins this series, no one wants an invite," James said, as his team prepares to climb back from a 0–2 hole as the series heads to Cleveland on Wednesday, June 6.
As for Curry, he is still opposed to a White House visit even as he keeps an open mind about other teams that may want the recognition. "Every team has an opportunity to make a decision for themselves and speak for themselves," he said.
"I think that's powerful, being in this situation," Curry added.
Both Curry and James also had something to say about Trump's recent decision to disinvite the Eagles from the traditional White House championship visit. For James, a championship is what it is, whether it is recognized by the current president or not.
A Super Bowl win, after all, is "way bigger than getting invited to the White House, especially with him in there, in my opinion," James said. Trump had also cited a difference of opinion when it comes to the national anthem as a reason for retracting the invitation, a point picked up by Curry while talking to the media.
"I would assume if somebody wanted to demonstrate or protest during the anthem, that there would be an opportunity to have that discussion and understand what the player wants to express in that moment and that the league would support that player while they're doing it," Curry said.
