President Biden on Monday touted his economic agenda as a way the country has worked together “as one team” while welcoming the Milwaukee Bucks, the 2021 NBA champions, to the White House.
“In sport and in democracy, unity perhaps is the most elusive thing and the most necessary thing, but that’s who this team is, they’re unified. That’s who we are as a nation,” Biden said. “As we saw over the weekend with the getting closer to passing the consequential investments in our nation and our people, there’s nothing stopping us when we work together, nothing. As one team, as one nation, there’s not a thing we’ve ever failed to do.”
“Just like you, you’ve worked together and watching you has just been incredible,” he said.
Biden has not yet signed into law a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill that cleared the House Friday night after passing the Senate in August.
The president was given a Bucks No. 46 jersey with “Biden” on the back during the event on the South Lawn.
He thanked the NBA champs for “taking a stand for justice and peace” in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc.. The Bucks sat out Game 5 of the playoffs in August 2020 to protest the shooting.
“You got people engaged in the vote, in the political process. You encouraged fans to get vaccinated. I just want to thank you,” Biden said.
Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is a major Democratic donor, and his son, Alex Lasry, is running for Senate in Wisconsin, seeking to replace Republican Sen. Ron Johnson (Wisc.).
Marc Lasry joked that the Bucks should keep coming back to the White House while indicating his support for Biden.
“What the hell, why don’t we come back the next four years, we’ll just keep coming back. Why don’t we do it for eight years,” he said.
“You know what, that’s a good idea,” Biden replied.
Biden specifically celebrated Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was named the NBA Finals’ Most Valuable Player after scoring a whopping 50 points in Game 6.
“50 points, 50 points,” Biden said, pausing for applause.
Antetokounmpo’s brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who also plays for Milwaukee, are the Greek-born sons of immigrants from Nigeria.
“Sons living the dream of an immigrant family from Nigeria and then Greece in search of new opportunity and struggles they always dreamed. Brothers who once had to share the same basketball shoes, all five of them, before they got to the NBA,” Biden said.
Antetokounmpo shared his story at the event.
“A kid from Athens Greece grew up from two Nigerian parents, they were struggling every day to provide for us,” he said. “It’s unbelievable opportunity to be able to be in the White House, meeting the president of the United States.”
Biden also acknowledged the Bucks’ Donte DiVincenzo, a native of the president’s home state of Delaware. Biden joked about how he went to graduate school at Syracuse University, while first lady Jill Biden went to graduate school at Villanova University, where DiVincenzo played in college.
“Donte, we’re also proud of you back home, but I still like Syracuse,” Biden said.
The last time the Bucks won the NBA championship was in 1971, and Biden noted that NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a part of the team.
“The worst part is, I remember them both. I was a kid, I was a kid — I remember them both,” he said to laughs.