Why aren’t NBA champion Denver Nuggets visiting the White House?

As tradition dictates, most if not all championship-winning teams in the major Sports leagues of the United States are granted an audience with the sitting president. This year, however, the Denver Nuggets have decided to forgo that pleasure in the name of preparing for an all-important clash with their immediate rival in the Western Conference.

No White House visit for the Denver Nuggets

According to reports, the Denver Nuggets will not be making a visit to the White House. With March 18th set as the date for their trip to Washington D.C., the No. 3 seeded Nuggets have chosen instead to focus on their March 19th date with the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis. Now, while there are some who might cheekily like to suggest there is political posturing at play, reports indicate that it was purely a “basketball decision.”

Incidentally, the Nuggets were originally meant to visit the White House in tandem with their game against the Washington Wizards on January 21st, however, President Joe Biden’s scheduling conflicts prevented the meeting from occurring, and as such it was rescheduled to March 18th. As things stand, it will now have to be postponed once more, and truth be told, it’s understandable. Half of a game behind the Timberwolves in the West, the coming clash is of critical importance. Indeed, a win would go a long way toward helping the Nuggets keep pace with the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder who are a game ahead. If it wasn’t already clear, things are very tight at the top of the Western Conference this year. So, again, there is no wiggle room.

Yet, it’s got to be said that the Nuggets are in fact finding the right rhythm at the right time. In their last 10 Games, the team has gone 7-3, including an impressive performance on Thursday against the Boston Celtics, the team that many project - along with the Nuggets - to be in the NBA Finals this year. As for Denver’s man in the middle, Nikola Jokic is once more at the center of the MVP conversation, and likely even more so now that Joel Embiid is out of the running. Ultimately, with the third-best net rating in the league and form apparently getting better with each Game, it may be that a chat with the President isn’t the most important thing for the Nuggets right now, and if we consider what’s at stake, rightly so.