Thunder Skip White House Visit with Trump

Pulse Sports Team 20:47 - 24 March 2026

The Oklahoma City team played in Washington last weekend and, despite having no commitments for the two preceding days, cited a packed schedule as the reason for missing the traditional presidential reception for champions at the White House. The Warriors (twice), Raptors, and Nuggets also previously missed visits during the current US leader's first presidency.

The 2024-25 champion Thunder announced they would not be visiting the White House, joining a growing list of professional sports teams that have declined the invitation during Donald Trump's presidency, even from his first term. A spokesperson for the Oklahoma City club attributed the decision to "scheduling conflicts."

"We have been in contact with the White House and are grateful for the communication we've had, but the timing simply wasn't right," the Thunder stated in an official release issued days ago.

This refusal came despite the team having both Thursday and Friday off before their game in the capital against the Washington Wizards last Friday night (early Saturday in Portugal). They went on to defeat the Wizards 111-132, marking their 11th consecutive victory and 14th win in their last 15 games.

The champion's visit to the President of the United States is a long-standing tradition, but it has become less common during the Trump administration. Notably, the Warriors skipped the visit after their 2016-17 and 2017-18 titles, as did the Raptors in 2018-19. The Lakers, meanwhile, did not make the visit in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before Trump took office, the Cavaliers celebrated their 2015-16 title with President Barack Obama in November of that year. More recently, under President Joe Biden, the Bucks (2020-21), the Warriors (2021-22), and the Celtics (2023-24), in November 2024, with a delegation that included Portuguese player Neemias Queta, upheld the tradition. The Nuggets (2022-23), however, postponed a visit scheduled for January 2024 due to a scheduling conflict, which was ultimately never rescheduled.

Already qualified for the playoffs, alongside the Pistons and Spurs, the Thunder lead the regular season with a 57-15 record. They hold a three-game advantage in the Western Conference over San Antonio (54-18) and a five-game lead over the Detroit Pistons (52-19) in the race for the overall top spot.

The reigning MVP of both the regular season and the NBA Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has been the team's standout performer, averaging 31.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, with impressive shooting splits of 55.1% from the field, 38.9% from three-point range, and 89.2% from the free-throw line.