Thunder will not visit White House to celebrate NBA championship, citing 'timing issue'

The Oklahoma City Thunder will not be making the customary visit to the White House to celebrate their 2025 NBA Championship, a team spokesperson told The Athletic on Friday. In a statement to The Athletic, the team cited “timing issues” as a reason for not holding the visit.

“We have been in touch with the White House and we are appreciative and grateful for the communication we have had, but the timing just didn’t work out,” the team told The Athletic.

The Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June to secure the championship. The title was the team’s first since the franchise moved from Seattle in 2007.

Though visiting the White House after winning the NBA championship dates back to the 1960s, President Donald Trump’s election in 2016 disrupted that tradition. The Golden State Warriors chose to decline the White House’s invitation after winning the Finals in 2017, before doing the same in 2018.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/thunder-will-not-visit-white-house-to-celebrate-nba-championship-citing-timing-issue-192238950.html