WASHINGTON — When Celtics forward Al Horford won back-to-back national championships at the University of Florida in 2006 and 2007, the celebrations continued with trips to the White House. The Gators’ meetings with President George W. Bush were not exclusive, however. They were joined by about 10 other NCAA championship teams.
“We had a blast,” Horford said. “They did the thing on the lawn outside in the courtyard. There were other college teams there as well, so it was cool to interact with some of them and do that stuff. So it’s a really neat experience. It’s an honor to be able to go to the White House.”
On Thursday, 17 years after his last visit, Horford will return to one of the most famous homes in the world, where the Celtics will be honored as NBA champions. This time, Horford will be with a team that has the place to itself.
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“It’s going to be awesome,” Horford said. “I’m excited about it. It’s something that, over the years, you always watch all the champions go there. So being in this position, I’m going to soak it all in.”
A Celtics contingent of players, coaches, front office members, and team ownership is expected to meet President Joe Biden in the late afternoon, with a brief ceremony scheduled to be held on the South Lawn on a chilly and possibly drizzly fall day.
With the Grousbeck family’s looming sale of the team, it could also be one of the ownership group’s final public appearances before a sale is completed. Wyc Grousbeck has said he would like to maintain majority control until 2028, but it remains to be seen if a buyer will abide by those terms.
The Celtics, 12-3 after disposing of the undefeated Cavaliers on Tuesday night, are once again looking very much like championship favorites. Since they received their championship rings and the 2024 NBA title banner was raised to the TD Garden rafters on opening night, they have been more focused on their current goals than looking back at the ones they have already achieved.
But the players said they are looking forward to looking back at their big accomplishment once more.
“I think it’ll be cool,” Jayson Tatum said. “One of the perks of being a champion is to go to the White House. You’ve seen all the former teams, or most of the former teams, attend. So we’ll have that moment and take pictures and videos. It’s something that’ll last a lifetime.”
Added Derrick White: “I think it’s going to be just fun being with the team. We’re obviously close and always together and it’s something we can kind of do together and just kind of enjoy that moment as a team.”
The Celtics’ visit coincides with their game against the Wizards on Friday night. Boston toppled the Wizards, 122-102, when these teams met Oct. 24 at the Capital One Center. But the stakes for this matchup will be a bit higher because it is also an NBA Cup group-play game.
Boston kept its hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals alive by defeating the Cavaliers to improve to 1-1. And the Celtics will be heavily favored to defeat both the Wizards and the Bulls in their final two group games.
The Hawks lead the group at 2-0 and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Celtics. But if, say, the Celtics, Hawks, and Cavaliers all finish 3-1 while having equal head-to-head records, the next tiebreaker is point differential.
The Celtics did not help themselves in that category when they coughed up most of a 21-point lead during the second half of their win over Cleveland before winning by 3. Currently, the Celtics have a plus-2 differential while the Hawks are plus-13 and the Cavaliers plus-15.
But the Celtics have the easiest remaining slate and would have plenty of opportunity to make up ground. They could also reach the quarterfinals by securing the conference’s wild-card slot, which will be determined by point differential.
