The Las Vegas Aces took to the White House yet again on Thursday to celebrate their 2023 WNBA championship victory.
The decorated team was hosted by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and First Lady Jill Biden, marking the first time the Bidens have welcomed the team personally.
Last year, Harris hosted the Aces after the Bidens were unable to attend due to a last minute conflict. Harris applauded the team for their 2022 win, pointing to the “grit and determination” they showcased en route to their WNBA Finals win over Connecticut.
President Biden is ready to PLAY!
The @LVAces presented personalized jerseys for the @POTUS and @VP pic.twitter.com/vm8iWbMpxj
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 9, 2024
The Aces won back-to-back championships in 2023, becoming the first WNBA franchise to repeat the feat since 2002. More impressively, they did so without 2022 Finals MVP Chelsea Gray and center Kiah Stokes, both of whom were sidelined with injuries for the title-clinching Game 4. Star forward A’ja Wilson ended up claiming the 2023 Finals MVP honors.
Following the team’s White House visit, the Aces will visit Wilson’s alma mater South Carolina for an exhibition game against the Puerto Rico women’s national basketball team. According to head coach Becky Hammon, the unconventional matchup came about when other WNBA teams lacked interest in facing the reigning champs in preseason play.
“We just started kind of building from there,” Hammon told the Las Vegas Review Journal. “It’s really cool for players to go home, and that’s where she’s from. She’s the centerpiece of our whole organization.”
Kelsey Plum jokingly called Wilson the “mayor of South Carolina” before citing the trip as an opportunity to build team chemistry ahead of their season opener against Phoenix on Tuesday.
“We have some new pieces, and we’re just trying to figure out where our rhythm is,” Plum said, referring to recent roster prospects like Iowa grad Kate Martin, among others. “Because when the season starts, it happens fast.”
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