WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden welcomed the Golden State Warriors and their families to the White House Tuesday afternoon to honor them for their 2022 NBA title.
As has come tradition with past visits — but had notably stopped under the previous president Donald Trump — Biden, the nation’s 46th president, received a No. 46 Warriors jersey with his name emblazoned on the back in a ceremony in the East Room.
“The Golden State Warriors are always welcomed in this White House,” Biden said before quipping, “Four NBA titles and six Finals in the last eight seasons. That ain’t bad, man.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, an Oakland, Calif., native, was the opening speaker and discussed her “beloved” Warriors, recalling a time when she once hopped on BART to make sure she wasn’t late to get to a Warriors game. She was presented with another custom jersey — this one a No. 1, as she previously was gifted a No. 49 jersey from the team upon becoming the 49th vice president.
“On a personal note, I have been a Warriors fan my entire life, and this team has been a constant source of joy and pride, for me and for so many of us,” Harris said. “My pride in the Warriors today is not because they win, but because these players, their coaches and this entire organization consistently stand for the principles of equity, equality and justice, which they do with great integrity and excellence.”
One day after the Warriors beat the Washington Wizards, star guard Stephen Curry and coach Steve Kerr spoke in the White House press briefing room ahead of the ceremony and said they were excited to be able to celebrate their championship. Curry also specifically thanked the President for his work in helping bring Brittney Griner home from Russia.
“It’s a big part of our basketball family and it means a lot to know that she’s here and home safe with her family and all the work behind the scenes to make that a reality,” Curry said. “I just want to say thank you there.”
Kerr added that he, Klay Thompson and Moses Moody participated in a one-hour round table on gun violence and gun safety with senior White House officials. It’s a subject particularly close to Kerr’s heart, as his father was assassinated at American University of Beirut in Lebanon.
“Over the last hour or so, we learned a lot about what this administration is doing to help create a safer environment in our country,” Kerr said. “That’s something that’s very close to my heart and it’s wonderful for me to learn a lot more than I knew. Coming in today is a great day on many fronts.”
Biden also addressed the storms that have struck the greater Northern California region in the past two weeks and added that he’ll be traveling to the state on Thursday.
Despite this summer’s win over the Boston Celtics being the Warriors’ fourth title in eight years, Curry noted in the White House press briefing room that this is only the second trip to the White House for Golden State during this run and first since 2016 when the 2015 title-winning team met with then-President Barack Obama.
While it had become customary that the commander-in-chief, regardless of their political affiliation, would honor championship sports teams with celebratory trips to the White House, it changed when Donald Trump took office. Many athletes took issue with President Trump’s policies and rhetoric toward minorities, women, immigrants, as well as NFL players who protested racial inequality and police brutality during the national anthem.
Golden State skipped out on the honorary visit in 2017 after then-President Donald Trump rescinded a potential invitation in response to Steph Curry saying he would not go after the team won. Instead, the Warriors spent their off-day in Washington D.C. during the 2017-18 season, taking a private tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
With Curry and the Warriors back in the NBA Finals the following year playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were led by LeBron James, Trump again said he wouldn’t invite the NBA champions to the White House.
Last year, the Bucks became the first reigning NBA champions to visit the White House in five years.
Kerr said this trip felt special since it lined up with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, which was when the Warriors beat the Wizards, 127-118.
