NBA Champion Thunder Skip White House Visit Due to Scheduling Conflicts

The Oklahoma City Thunder, current NBA champions, will not visit the White House during their Washington D.C. trip this weekend due to scheduling issues. While both the team and White House discussed a championship celebration, the timing couldn't be arranged despite mutual interest.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, fresh off their 2025 NBA championship victory, will skip a traditional White House visit during their Washington D.C. road trip this weekend, according to a team representative who spoke Friday.

Although both the Thunder organization and White House officials held conversations about hosting a championship celebration, scheduling conflicts ultimately made the visit impossible.

“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.

The tradition of NBA champions meeting with the president stretches back to 1963 when the Boston Celtics made the first such visit. Championship teams commonly arrange these ceremonies to coincide with regular season matchups in Washington D.C. The Thunder are scheduled to face the Wizards on Saturday.

Multiple championship teams have turned down White House invitations in recent years, with the Golden State Warriors’ 2017 decision being among the most prominent examples.

Earlier this month, the U.S. men’s hockey team that captured Olympic gold accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend the State of the Union address. The team also participated in an Oval Office ceremony with Trump and enjoyed a White House lunch.

Trump extended a similar State of the Union invitation to the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team, but the players declined to participate, explaining that “the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments” prevented their attendance.