OKC Thunder will not visit White House following first NBA championship

The reigning NBA champion OKC Thunder will not make the traditional White House visit prior to its road game against the Washington Wizards on Saturday. A team spokesperson told The Athletic that a "timing issue" prevented the visit from happening. OKC had a road game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

“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 its statement shared with The Athletic. The Boston Celtics became the first team to visit the White House following their 1963 NBA championship. That started a prestigious tradition for reigning champions, who schedule the visit the following regular season when in the nation's capital for a road game against the Wizards.

The Golden State Warriors declined to visit the White House following their 2017 championship, which came during President Donald Trump's first term. They were not invited by Trump following their 2018 championship as a result, but they did visit the White House to celebrate their 2022 championship during Joe Biden's presidency. Multiple championship teams from other sports have visited the White House during Trump's presidency — including the MLS champion Inter Miami CF earlier this month — but an NBA team has not yet done so.

This article will be updated. More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder torch Nets as Payton Sandfort scores in NBA debut Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin?