OREANDA-NEWS. The National Basketball Association (NBA) champions visited the White House for the first time in several years and met with the USA president.

We are talking about the American basketball club Milwaukee Bucks. In July, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the NBA play-offs to win the championship for the first time since 1971.

According to CNN, the last visit to the American leader was made by Cleveland Cavaliers players in November 2016. During Donald Trump's presidency, the winning basketball players of Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors have not visited the White House due to disagreement with the American leader's stance on various issues. In 2020, Los Angeles Lakers basketball players were unable to meet the president because of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Today President Biden hosted the Milwaukee Bucks at the White House to celebrate their 2021 NBA championship victory. Congratulations, Bucks,"- the White House said in a post on Twitter.

On their social media account, the basketball players said they presented basketball jerseys to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. One picture released by the White House shows a satisfied Biden with a team jersey, while another shows him signing a basketball.

During his speech, the US president said it was important to continue "the tradition of sport and democracy" and stressed the importance of "unity", teamwork and hard work.