After winning the 2020 WNBA title in the league’s south Florida Bubble, the Seattle Storm will finally celebrate the championship with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Monday during the team’s Washington, D.C., trip to play the Mystics on Sunday.
It will be the first time a WNBA champion will visit the White House since the Obama administration. The league, which is very vocal about its progressive values, did not have a team visit during the president during Donald Trump’s term. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert will join Seattle at the White House on Monday, according to a press release from the team.
As part of the visit, Storm Director of Community Engagement Crystal Langhorne, who was also a player on last year’s title team, will provide remarks about the team’s Force4Change initiative and receive recognition from President Biden. And before the official ceremony, Storm players “will participate in a conversation with members of the White House Gender Policy Council and work with the White House to record messages of support for gender, racial and LGBTQ+ equality, voting rights, and pro-vaccination,” according to the release.
Several Storm players, including stars Jewell Loyd, Sue Bird, and Breanna Stewart, have been outspoken about the issues they believe in, including domestic violence and systemic racism.
