Boston Celtics visit White House for NBA championship celebration originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The victory lap of the NBA champion Boston Celtics continued on Thursday when the team visited the White House for the traditional celebration with the president.
President Joe Biden welcomed the team to the South Lawn of the mansion to celebrate Boston’s five-game victory over the Dallas Mavericks in June, calling the team among the deepest ever, and noting that they “dominated Dallas on both ends of the floor.”
“My secret service name is Celtic,” Biden pointed out, adding, “everyone behind me is Irish at heart.”
After he and Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck spoke, Biden walked a ceremonial basketball the team presented him to the gathered crowd and passed it to Senator Ed Markey, before giving it a few bounces.
Ahead of the event, the Celtics shared a sneak peek at the ball and the jerseys they gave to Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second lieutenant Doug Emhoff. Biden’s is number 46, because he is the 46th president, while the jerseys for Harris and her husband sport 18s, for the team’s NBA-record 18th title.
Among those who attended the ceremony were Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the state’s congressional delegation.
“It’s something that will last a lifetime,” C star Jayson Tatum said last week about the opportunity to visit the White House.
The last time the Celtics visited the White House as NBA champions, in 2008, George W. Bush was president.
The Celtics are looking to be the first team to repeat as champions since 2018 Golden State Warriors. They are in Washington for a game against the Wizards on Friday night, an Meeting of the NBA Cup that reports at 7 pm ET on NBC Sports Boston.
