The New England Patriots won Super Bowl 51 and received an invitation to the White House. The Golden State Warriors won the 2017 NBA Championship and received an invitation to the White House. The Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2017 Stanley Cup Championship and received an invitation to the White House. The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl 52 and received an invitation to the White House. The Minnesota Lynx won the 2017 WNBA Championship and did not get an invitation to the White House. Gee, I wonder why all the others did and they didn’t.
The Warriors are locked into another heated NBA Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the talk of the day before Game 3 was about Donald Trump uninviting the Eagles due to their disagreement with his stance on the national anthem protests and his inability to understand why they’re even protesting in the first place.
Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James were all asked to express their thoughts regarding Trump’s choice, but James was also asked about the White House’s decision not to invite the defending WNBA Champion Lynx to celebrate their championship. He didn’t hold back, calling it ‘laughable.’
“I think it’s laughable at this point. You always hear the saying, ‘you just laugh and it’ll stop you from crying.’ I think that’s a lot of the instances that are going on outside of the sports world. But we know how important sports are to our country and how it continues to bring people together and excite people. So many people talk about it, no matter if it’s on this stage here or on the streets, the bus, the barbershops, the coffee shops, or wherever the case may be. Sports are so big because it’s able to captivate people and bring people together.
The WNBA has seen a rise in popularity over the last couple of years, especially with the brewing the rivalry between the Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks that could potentially end up in a third consecutive Finals matchup later this season if both teams make it to the championship round. The Sparks won Round 1 in 2016 and the Lynx responded by winning Round 2 in 2017.
For them not to be invited playing our beautiful game of basketball, no matter if it’s the WNBA or the NBA or the little leagues or high school, whatever the case may be. It’s basketball. Those women are unbelievable at doing it, I think it’s laughable.”
James and the Cavs will now shift their focus from Trump to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, which is set to tip off on 6PM EST on Wednesday night back at Quicken Loans Arena. Needless to say, the Cavs desperately need to get on the board with a win and avoid an 0-3 hole.