5:57 PM ET
LOS ANGELES — 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.
No NBA team has commemorated their title with a White House visit since LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were honored by former President Barack Obama in November 2016, just days after Donald Trump won the presidential election to succeed Obama in the Oval Office.
When asked in January if the Lakers planned to resume