Oklahoma City Thunder to skip White House visit due to scheduling conflict
The Oklahoma City Thunder will not make the traditional White House visit as reigning NBA champions due to a timing conflict with a scheduled game against the Washington Wizards on Saturday evening.
A team spokesperson said the decision followed discussions with the White House. "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 said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.
It was not immediately clear whether a formal invitation had been extended. The Thunder won the 2025 NBA Finals with a Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers on June 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City.
The White House has a long-standing tradition of hosting U.S. sports championship teams for celebrations. Visits date back decades across administrations and include NBA champions.[1]
Teams have occasionally declined or seen invitations withdrawn. In 2017, President Donald Trump withdrew an invitation to the Golden State Warriors, the reigning NBA champions at the time, after guard Stephen Curry expressed reluctance to attend.[2]
The Thunder, an NBA franchise based in Oklahoma City since 2008 after relocating from Seattle, compete in the Western Conference. The Wizards play in the Eastern Conference at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.[3][4]
Sources
- Associated Press. "A tradition like no other: Presidents welcome championship teams to White House." Accessed 2024. https://apnews.com/article/white-house-championship-teams-tradition-nba-nfl-nhl-0b5d4f1e2a3c4d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6
- ESPN. "Stephen Curry says Warriors won't go to White House." 16 October 2017. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21205857/stephen-curry-says-golden-state-warriors-not-going-white-house
- NBA.com. "Oklahoma City Thunder Team Page." Accessed 2024. https://www.nba.com/thunder
- NBA.com. "Washington Wizards Team Page." Accessed 2024. https://www.nba.com/wizards
