WNBA’s Seattle Storm visit White House after a decade to meet President Biden

The Seattle Storm, whose participation in the Women’s NBA championship last year ended in a record-tying win, made their way to the White House on Monday to meet US President Joe Biden.

The team, which was hosted by the Washington Mystics in the country’s national capital for the Sunday clash, was invited by the President earlier this month. Sunday’s match against the local team ended with a tally of 85-78 in favour of the Seattle Storm, according to reports from CNBC.

Biden, who was accompanied by United States First Lady Jill Biden at the White House meeting, said, “This organisation is no stranger to success. Four WNBA championships, tied for the most of any franchise and five players are Olympians. Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Lloyd, thank you for bringing the gold home.”

The three gold medalists also got to present Biden with his own Seattle Storm jersey, according to reports from CNBC.

Bird, who is 40 years old, said in a statement, “President Biden, thank you so much for welcoming us into the White House as people who are a part of women’s sports. It feels good to be back in this place and have our achievements celebrated in this way”, according to reports CNBC.

While no women’s NBA team was hosted in the White House while former US President Donald Trump occupied office, the Seattle Storm team last visited the Presidential residence in 2011, when Barack Obama held office.

Biden will also give a special mention to the team’s ‘Force4Change’ initiative, which aims to raise awareness about social injustice.

Crystal Langhorne, the Director of Community Engagement for the team said, “Social justice cannot fade into the background. We have to continue to amplify, invest and do whatever we can to be a force for change. Being the first women’s team to visit this administration, an administration that aligns with so many of our values is such an honor.”