The Boston Celtics visited the White House on Thursday for the first time since 2008 as part of their championship-winning celebration.
In the United States, it is tradition for the winner of a professional championship game – whether it be in the NBA, NFL or NHL – to visit the White House following their triumph.
It is something that has been in place since the mid-1800s and the Celtics were the first NBA team to visit in 1963 when John F. Kennedy was in office.
The team enjoyed a ceremony at the Rose Garden with every member of the franchise in attendance, putting the finishing touches on Boston’s 18th banner.
Joe Biden gave a brief speech before Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck also addressed the crowd – and Jayson Tatum and Derrick White presented the President with a personalized jersey.
According to the best online betting sites, the Celtics are the outright favorites to win the title once again this season – so they could be doing this all over again in a year’s time.
WATCH: Jayson Tatum and Derrick White present Joe Biden with Celtics jersey
Jayson Tatum and Derrick White gift President Joe Biden his own No. 46 Celtics jersey! pic.twitter.com/NIXD2Wgotx
— NBA (@NBA) November 22, 2024
Biden stuns crowd with the numbers behind Boston’s historic success
None of us likely expected the 82-year-old to spit out some stats behind the team’s historically impressive triumph, but Biden was on the ball and delivered just that.
The 46th president of the United States mentioned that the Celtics set an NBA record for points per possession last season and had clearly done his homework.
During Biden’s speech, he also revealed that his secret service code name is actually ‘Celtic’:
“It’s because I’m Irish. Everybody behind me (the Celtics team) is Irish in their heart. I feel such a pride in this group. From this old Irish Celtic to all you Celtics, congratulations.”
