WNBA champions Storm not interested in visiting White House if invited
If the 2018 WNBA champions Seattle Storm were extended an invitation to visit President Donald Trump at the White House, they'd turn it down.
"At this point, it doesn't even really need to be discussed," said 16-year veteran Sue Bird, according to ESPN's Kevin Pelton. "It's come up. We paid attention to what happened with Minnesota (Lynx) not getting invited. Everyone knew when everything happened with Steph Curry and LeBron (James) on social media, all that stuff. We all pay attention and we watch.
"So it wasn't an actual conversation where we sat down and said, 'Hey guys, what do you want to do if this happens?' First of all, we wouldn't have, because you can't do that until you win. You don't want any bad juju. But I think it's safe to say we all kind of were on the same page with that."
All-Star Jewell Loyd echoed Bird's sentiments in emphatic fashion.
"For what we stand for in Seattle, and what we stand for in the league, I think it's pretty evident that we don't want to go," she said. "So thanks for the non-invite."
Lynx general manager and head coach Cheryl Reeve stated once it became clear that her 2017 championship roster wasn't going to be invited that she believed the administration's views on women played a part in why that was so. The team instead spent a day in the nation's capital handing out shoes and socks at a local elementary school.
Bird has visited the White House in the past as a member of the 2002 NCAA champion UConn Huskies. She feels that attending the president's residence has lost its allure.
"I've been really fortunate to go, and it's exciting," Bird said. "You're going to the White House. I remember first walking into the room to meet President Obama and the aura. ... It's insane. Now, that's not what the case is anymore. It doesn't feel exciting. Nobody wants to go. It's totally changed. And that's disappointing because it used to be, like I said, something that most athletes would look forward to."
The Storm completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Mystics in the Finals on Wednesday.