Oklahoma City Thunder claim 'timing' keeps them from visiting the White House

[p]"[b]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[/b]," the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/oklahoma-city-thunder/0fHFHEWD/"]Thunder[/a] told The Athletic in a statement.[/p][p]The team did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.[/p][p]NBA champion teams have been visiting the White House since the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-celtics/KYD9hVEm/"]Boston Celtics[/a] made the trip in 1963, although the 2024 Celtics were the last to make such a visit, to then-president Joe Biden's White House in November of that year.[/p][p]The topic of triumphant teams visiting the White House has become politically charged in recent years.[/p][p]When several [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/golden-state-warriors/SxUtXqch/"]Golden State Warriors[/a] players expressed misgivings about a possible White House reception after winning the title in 2017, President Donald Trump tweeted that the invitation had been withdrawn.[/p][embed guid="2a1d04ed-bf41-45d8-a4b3-a5e8d2c9371d" url="https://x.com/JonnyRoot_/status/2035151364930904578?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Warriors weren't invited when they won in 2018 but visited Biden's White House to celebrate their 2022 championship.[/p][p]Various teams, including the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, declined invitations or had invitations rescinded in Trump's first term.[/p][p]But Trump hailed the Eagles as "incredible" when they celebrated their 2025 Super Bowl victory at the White House last year.[/p][p]More recently, the US men's gold medal-winning Olympic ice hockey team was feted at the White House before attending Trump's State of the Union Address.[/p][p]Trump also invited the gold medal-winning US women's hockey team, but they cited "timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments" in declining.[/p][p]Trump had sparked criticism when he was heard in a congratulatory phone call to the men's team in Milan say he would "probably be impeached" if he didn't invite the women's team as well.[/p]