The Los Angeles Lakers will miss the team’s White House visit scheduled for later this month because of Covid-19 protocols and scheduling issues, according to ESPN.
The 2020 NBA champions were set to meet with President Joe Biden when the team traveled to Washington, D.C., for a game against the Wizards next week. Citing a source with knowledge of the situation, ESPN said a future meet-and-greet with Biden has not been ruled out.
In January, Lakers forward LeBron James said that he would be happy to meet Biden but questioned whether current health and safety regulations would allow it.
“It would be great, but I have no idea what we can even do right now besides hotel, arena and home,” he said.
It’s tradition for the NBA championship team to visit the White House, but that has not happened since 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers met with then-President Barack Obama.
The Golden State Warriors toured the National Museum of African-American History and Culture with local Washington students instead of celebrating their 2017 title with then-President Donald Trump. After winning another championship a year later, the Warriors met with Obama instead of Trump.
The Toronto Raptors won the championship in 2019.
CNN has reached out to the Lakers and the White House for comment.
CNN’s Wayne Sterling contributed to this report.
