President Obama appears to have a man crush on basketball superstars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
The President honored the entire NBA World Champion basketball team, the Miami Heat, at the White House Monday afternoon, but seemed to favor two players over the rest: Miami Heat forward and campaign contributor LeBron James and shooting guard Dwayne Wade.
“During Game Six, we saw him [James] pull off one of the greatest performances in basketball playoff history, dropping 40 points, and he had a scary look in his eye,” Obama said. “We saw Dwayne Wade, he heart and soul of this team, do whatever it takes to win, including leading the team in blocks.
James has been a huge Obama supporter in the past, donating tens of thousands of dollars to the president’s campaign. Several other members of the Heat have also given to Obama.
The basketball star also showed Obama his appreciation Monday, thanking him for his “hospitality.”
“And we’re in the White House right now,” James said excitedly to the President. “This is like, hey, mama, I made it.”
The team also gave Obama his every own Miami Heat jersey and basketball.
Obama is reportedly a huge basketball fan and even played with a few of the Heat players in a pick-up game on his birthday a few years ago. He jokingly accredited himself with helping them train for this big win.
“I think that it’s clear that going up against me prepared them to take on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook,” he said. “And I think part of the reason they came back today is they want another shot at the old guy.”
When Obama teasingly introduced the Heat as an “a little up and coming basketball team,” the entire East Room erupted in cheers.
Obama not only thanked LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and the rest of the team for their 2012 NBA Championship victory, but also for supporting the military and their families.
The team will be visiting wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being welcomed at the White House. Obama told the basketball team, “You guys are heroes to them [wounded warriors], but they are heroes to all of us.”
President Obama wasn’t the only pumped to meet the members of the Heat on Monday. Spotted in the first row were two of Florida’s female representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson, who was donning her infamous headwear – a red, shimmery cowboy hat.
Wade’s girlfriend, actress Gabrielle Union also sat in the first row.
The Miami Heat won the NBA championship in June of 2012, beating out the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot. Obama called the Heat’s victory “well-earned,” but admitted he was “a little disappointed the Bulls didn’t make it.” The 2012 championship team hasn’t exactly been bringing the ‘heat’ so far this season, and was just coming off a tough loss to the Boston Celtics, the night before their visit to the White House. They also lost to Obama’s Bull’s earlier this month.
