The Celtics are celebrating their NBA title one final time on Thursday, as the defending champions will be hosted at the White House in Washington by President Joe Biden.
The team arrived in the nation’s capital for a Friday matchup with the Wizards a couple days early for the ceremony, which is set to take place on the White House’s South Lawn at 4:30 p.m.
“I think it’ll be cool,” forward Jayson Tatum said ahead of the trip. “One of the perks of being a champion is to go to the White House. You’ve seen all the former teams, or most of the former teams, attend. So we’ll have that moment and take pictures and videos. It’s something that’ll last a lifetime.”
The only member of the team to experience the honor previously is Jrue Holiday, who made the trip three years ago as a member of the 2021 NBA champion Bucks. Al Horford was also honored at the White House after back-to-back collegiate national championships at Florida, but the Gators were among a score of NCAA champions received by then-President George W. Bush. Bush was the last president to honor a championship Celtics team back in 2008.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Horford said. “I’m excited about it. It’s something that, over the years, you always watch all the champions go there. So being in this position, I’m going to soak it all in.”
The Celtics brought gifts to Washington, with customized jerseys for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as well as a personalized basketball.
The ceremony is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. You can watch live below.
Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.
Source: politics.einnews.com…
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