The Oklahoma City Thunder won't be visiting the White House this weekend, and if you believe it's just about scheduling, I've got a bridge to sell you.
The reigning NBA champions cited a "timing issue" for skipping the traditional White House visit during their Saturday game in Washington against the Wizards. Sure, the team and the administration had conversations. Sure, they exchanged pleasantries. But when the smoke clears, one of the league's flagship franchises is passing on a tradition that dates back to 1963.
"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 Thunder said in a statement. That's what we call threading the needle, folks.
Look, championship team visits have become politically charged ever since Donald Trump's first term. The Golden State Warriors decided not to visit in 2017 after their title - Trump subsequently tweeted the invitation was withdrawn. They weren't invited in 2018 either. But they showed up in 2022 when Joe Biden was in office.
The pattern isn't hard to see. Teams are making calculations that have nothing to do with their playoff schedule and everything to do with the temperature of the room.
What makes this particularly interesting is that the Thunder did visit Biden's White House in 2022 - before they were champions - for a policy discussion about their after-school program in Tulsa. They had no problem making that trip. But now, with a championship to celebrate and a different president in office, suddenly there's a scheduling conflict.
The U.S. men's hockey team had no trouble attending the State of the Union last month after winning gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics. They even had lunch at the White House. But the women's hockey team - also gold medalists - cited "timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments" for skipping the same event.
