LA Lakers wish to visit White House upon Joe Biden's arrival | NBA News

The defending NBA Champion LA Lakers are hopeful to uphold tradition and make a visit to the White House once President-Elect Joe Biden is sworn into office. The tradition of the NBA champion visiting the White House dates back to 1963 when the Boston Celtics went to meet President John F. Kennedy.

LA Lakers ready for White House visit when Biden is sworn in

Los Angeles Clippers v Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James has been outspoken on social media in his support for President-elect Biden and was part of the Cleveland Cavaliers championship team that visited an Obama-Biden White House in 2016. Since this visit, no NBA champions have visited the White House after their Finals victory.

Yahoo Sources: Los Angeles Lakers look to reconvene post-championship tradition of visiting White House this season after Joe Biden is sworn into office. https://t.co/pn5GaPL3AZ

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 7, 2021

There have been other players in years past that have skipped a visit to Washington D.C., including Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Michael Jordan in 1984 and 1991, respectively. The White House reportedly did not extend an invitation to the LA Lakers, who were seemingly unwilling to go visit the current president.

As political ideas have entered the sports world more and more, we have seen players start to take a stance and voice their opinions. These voices can be heard now like never before with the help of social media, and we are witnessing a new era of sports media.

CHARACTER MATTERS, BEING SIMPLY A GOOD PERSON MATTERS! Salute & Thank You @VanJones68!!! 👏🏾👏🏾✊🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/G6wB9L3EvZ

— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 7, 2020

The LA Lakers have been defending their title properly with a 6-2 start to their season, and currently sit atop the Western Conference standings. LeBron James is back to his typical dominance in his 18th year in the league, and Anthony Davis has proven to be a superstar as well. The LA Lakers will be in contention for another title run this season, and will likely be happy to visit the White House if they are to repeat.