Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Los Angeles Lakers have been unable to celebrate their 2020 NBA championship in the normal ways. There has been no parade, and the championship banner has yet to be revealed as well, though that will soon be changing.
Another tradition is for the champion to visit the President of the United States at the White House the following year. Teams had chosen not to visit while Donald Trump was in office, but with Joe Biden winning the Presidential election last year, there was hope that the Lakers would visit if possible.
With the team traveling up to Washington to face the Wizards soon, the time to do so was quickly approaching, but the visit won’t be happening during the trip. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers won’t visit the White House yet due to protocols, though there is still a chance for a visit in the future:
The Los Angeles Lakers will not visit President Joe Biden at the White House to celebrate their 2020 NBA championship when the team travels to Washington, D.C., for a game against the Wizards later this month, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
Scheduling challenges and continued COVID-19 protocols will prevent a visit in the April 27-28 window when the Lakers are in the nation’s capital for the Wizards game, but a future meet-and-greet with the 46th president of the United States has not been ruled out, the source told ESPN.
This is an unfortunate situation, but hopefully one that can be rectified in the future. The opportunity to visit the President in the White House is something that isn’t often afforded to most people, so missing out on that chance would have to be disappointing to many as it is no guarantee the chance will present itself again.
However, it is still the way of the world as things haven’t gotten quite back to normal just yet. Things are improving, and there are even fans allowed inside Staples Center now, but things just didn’t add up for the Lakers to make that visit at the end of April when they are in the city.
The hope is surely that the visit will still occur at some point and, more importantly, if the Lakers are able to successfully defend their NBA Championship, that visit take place for sure next year.
Davis cleared for full on-court activity
If the Lakers are going to defend their championship they’ll need to be at full strength and they are getting closer to doing just that with the news that Anthony Davis has been cleared for full on-court activities.
The team has sorely missed him on both sides of the floor and getting him back will give plenty of time for the Lakers to slowly round him into shape before the playoffs begin.
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