WASHINGTON: An explosive week in the nation’s capital ended on the South Lawn of the White House Thursday with President Barack Obama cracking jokes about LeBron James’ Twitter account, J.R. Smith’s refusal to wear a shirt last summer and Iman Shumpert’s ability to deliver a baby with a set of headphones.
As demonstrators protested against President-elect Donald Trump across Pennsylvania Avenue, Obama welcomed the Cavaliers to celebrate their NBA championship just hours after meeting with Trump at the White House.
“World champion and Cleveland in the same sentence,” Obama said. “That’s what we’re talking about when we talk about hope and change.”
Obama is an avid basketball fan and spoke from memory about a number of the issues surrounding the team on its way to a championship last season, including how Kevin Love was missing from some of the photos posted to social media and how coach Tyronn Lue took over at midseason and molded the Cavs into champions.
The Chicago sports fan was particularly pleased with how the Cavs rallied to preserve history against the Golden State Warriors.
“Obviously what this all comes down to is a team that, for the first time in NBA history, comes back from being down 3-1 in the finals — the first team in history to dig themselves out of a hole like that,” he said. “By knocking off the Warriors, they cemented the 1996 Bulls as the greatest team of all time. So your President thanks you for that.”
Kevin Love concluded the ceremony by presenting the president with a No. 16 Cavs jersey with “Obama” stitched across the back.
Cavs players met some veterans and played basketball on the White House court after the ceremony. They also toured the White House Thursday and visited with Attorney General Loretta Lynch to discuss steps they’re taking to bridge the divide between police and the community.
Obama praised the players for their charitable efforts, including Love’s work combatting campus sexual assaults, James’ work with his foundation, the way he speaks out against gun violence and partnering with Michelle Obama on childhood education issues.
“We’ve got really thoughtful, socially aware group of guys that really have deep-seated feelings about all of this, so it’s fun to be able to be here with them,” Cavs General Manager David Griffin said. “You learn something from our group every day, which is special. But obviously meeting President Barack Obama and the First Lady is something that is special to all of us.”
Lue described to Lynch the initiatives he has created in his home state of Missouri to ease tensions between police and youth minorities. Lue takes 360 kids every summer to Six Flags in St. Louis and uses police volunteers as chaperones. He has officers hand out Thanksgiving turkeys that he purchases to kids in his neighborhood of Mexico, Mo., and he does the same with Christmas gift giveaways.
“[Officers] get a chance to meet the kids and see the kids in the neighborhood and in the community, so now they can have a connection where they don’t feel afraid, and also the young kids don’t feel afraid,” Lue said. “When you know someone on a first-name basis, it makes it easier.”
America’s race relations are again at the forefront following Trump’s election. James endorsed Hillary Clinton and campaigned with her during a stop in Cleveland just prior to the election. J.R. Smith joined James on stage and told the Beacon Journal it was “ridiculous” Trump had made it as far as he had — and that was before his stunning victory in the presidential election.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich attended Thursday’s ceremony and encouraged Americans to come together and support Trump, even though Kasich famously voted for 2008 Republican nominee John McCain in this election.
“Today I said my prayers on the plane for the success of Donald Trump and I think as Americans we all need to come together,” Kasich said. “We know there are a lot of people in this country that struggle and a lot of people in this country are now hopeful that things will be fixed. Well they won’t be fixed overnight, but what we can all do as Americans is join hands, join arms and say a few prayers for the success of the next president of the United States.
“America works best when America is united. America doesn’t work best when we are divided. That is my message and will continue to be my message as we move forward in this new time.”
Neither Kasich, nor any of the Cavs traveling party, crossed paths with Trump on Thursday. A number of Cavs players denounced Trump’s election on social media and Richard Jefferson — who dressed up as President Obama during James’ annual Halloween party — inferred on his Snapchat account he isn’t interested in coming back to the White House again if the Cavs win while Trump is in office. Lue, however, said he’d welcome another trip.
“We have a long season to play and if we were able to win, I would love to come back,” Lue said. “So let’s hope we win and we’ll see.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.