The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder will not visit the White House during their trip to the nation’s capital this weekend.
A Thunder spokesperson confirmed Friday that a “timing issue” will prevent the team from making the traditional appearance. Oklahoma City face the Wizards in Washington on Saturday.
“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 shared with the Athletic.
Championship teams across the major American sports have traditionally received invitations from the president to visit the White House and celebrate their victories. Such visits have become politically fraught during the first and second terms of Donald Trump.
The last NBA champions to visit the White House were the Boston Celtics in November 2024, when Joe Biden was president.
The Golden State Warriors elected not to visit Trump’s White House after their 2017 title – he later said he had withdrawn their invitation – and they were not invited after their 2018 championship. The Warriors had visited while Barack Obama was in office, and did make the trip under Biden’s administration after their 2022 title.
The 2019 champion Toronto Raptors did not visit while Trump was in office, with players ruling out a trip before an invitation had been offered, and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers skipped their visit to Biden’s White House because of pandemic health and safety protocols.
The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, who twice visited for titles during the Biden era, have no apparent plans to go after their 2025 title.
The Thunder visited the White House for a tour and documentary screening in 2022 when Biden was in office, though they weren’t the NBA champions.
The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles were not invited by Trump after their championship in the 2017 season, but they did visit in April 2025 after their Super Bowl LIX victory. (Several players, including stars Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, did not attend.) As of 1 March, the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks had not yet received their invitation nor made a decision on attending. The Los Angeles Dodgers visited in April 2025 and have said they plan to return following their most recent World Series title.
MLS champion Inter Miami are the most recent professional team to go to the White House, having made the trip earlier this month. The NHL’s Florida Panthers have visited twice since Trump returned to office, most recently in mid-January.
Last month, Trump hosted the US Olympic men’s hockey team at the White House and the State of the Union after their gold-medal win at the Milano Cortina Games. The majority of the men’s team attended; the women’s team was invited but declined their invitation, citing timing and previous commitments.
