President Obama:
Hello. Hello. How are you? Good to see you.
Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. (applause) Thank you so much, everybody. Please have
a seat. Welcome to the White House. And congratulations, a little belatedly, to the Los Angeles Lakers
for winning your 15th -- 15th -- NBA title, and fourth in the past 10 years. Before I
say a few things about the Lakers, I just want to acknowledge some wonderful members
of Congress and big Lakers fans who are here: Congresswoman Jane Harman, Congresswoman Laura
Richardson, Congressman Adam Schiff, Congressman Brad Sherman, and Lucille Roybal-Allard. Please,
everybody, give them a big round of applause. (applause) Now, as folks here will tell you, the only
thing that is better than playing basketball -- the only thing that's better than watching
basketball is playing basketball -- but I'm 48, and soon to be 49, and it's a little harder
these days to move around on the court, especially when you're playing against kids who are half
your age. But I still get enormous, enormous pleasure from watching great athletes on the
court. And nobody exemplifies excellence in basketball better than the
Los Angeles Lakers last year. (applause) I want to congratulate everybody who helped
make this team what it is -- from the assistants to the front office staff, to the trainers
and the ticket-takers, all the fans back in L.A. who bleed purple and gold. You all should
be very proud. That's you. (laughter) I want to congratulate Jeanie Buss and the
rest of the Buss family for guiding this team so well for the last 30 years. (applause) I'm especially excited to meet
Coach Phil Jackson, the Zen Master. (laughter) I've been a fan of Coach Jackson's ever since
his days running the triangle offense in Chicago. I want to congratulate him on his tenth NBA
championship -- the most in history. I do want to point out that six of them came with
the Bulls. (laughter) I just want to point that out. Speaker:
Not for long. Not for
long. Not for long. (laughter) President Obama:
You remember that, Magic? Magic Johnson:
Yes, sir. (laughter) President Obama:
-- '90-'91? Remember
when -- Jordan went out -- (laughter and applause) You know, they won the first game and they
were feeling cocky. (laughter) And Paxson was hitting all those shots. Anyway,
we're not -- that's not why we're here. (laughter) I was hoping that, Coach, you were going to
bring some books for Republicans and Democrats in Congress maybe to get them to start playing like a team together. (laughter) Coach is famous for passing out books and
helping people get the job done. We are obviously honored to have one of the all-time
greats in NBA history, Magic Johnson. (applause) Magic did pretty well during his
time with the Lakers. He wasn't bad. (laughter) And now a new generation is continuing his
legacy. But obviously part of what makes Magic special wasn't just how he played on the
court, but also just the infectious enthusiasm about life and what he's now doing with businesses
and minority communities. He's just been an outstanding leader in our country for a long
time. Of course, I've got to recognize Kobe Bryant -- one of the most competitive players
I've ever seen -- (applause) -- for being named Finals MVP last year, obviously already
MVPs under his belt, the youngest player ever to reach 25,000 points in his career. And
he's playing with a broken finger. Now, if I was -- if I had a broken finger I would
have trouble getting out of bed. (laughter) And he's still leading the team day in and
day out. This is a team that never lost its focus last season -- from the first tip-off
to the final buzzer. I know that the Lakers have a tradition of ending each team gathering
-- whether it's a practice, or a game, or a team meeting -- by with the chant, "1, 2,
3, Rings." As Lamar Odom said, "We kind of always saw that light." Everyone was willing
to do what it took to get a little stronger, to play a little harder, and to bring home
that title. But I think it's important to note that this team also knows that being
a champ is about more than trophies and rings. It's about being a winner off the court as
well as on it -- and giving back to those who are less fortunate. The Lakers and the
NBA have always been about serving others -- at home and around the world. And that
tradition continued last week, when the NBA and the Players Association, led by Derek
Fisher, pledged to donate $1 million to support relief efforts in Haiti. (applause) Jordan Farmar and Pau Gasol are also donating
their money to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund. Pau pledged $1,000 for every point he scored
against the Knicks -- and I'm glad he dropped 20 -- (laughter) -- helping the Lakers to
beat New York and changing the lives of Haitians thousands of miles away. And earlier today,
the team joined with our United We Serve initiative to hold a fitness clinic for kids from Stanton
Elementary School right here in Washington, D.C. -- teaching them about a few moves, but
also how to live healthy and active lives. So I just want to again thank the entire Lakers
organization for your service, for the great joy that you have given the city of Los Angeles,
but also the incredible competition you⬠"!re your organization has graced the basketball
court with for decades now. If this season is anything like the last one -- I know that
you guys have your sights on the NBA finals -- so we might see you here before long.
But we are very grateful for your presence here today. Give them a big round of applause. (applause) Now, one last thing. I was also told that
Mr. Brown here intends to win the dunk contest -- (laughter) -- so we'll see how that goes. We're going to break down the podium and get a formal picture. Is that right? Okay, let's go. (cross talk) President Obama:
Alright. I get my
official Lakers jersey here. (applause) I get my ball. It's
official. Everybody get it? (laughter) I know. I know. (laughter) It won't last long. (laughter) Alright. Well, congratulations again,
guys. Thank you. I'm very proud of you. Thank you so much, Kobe.
Man Kobe was the happiest guy in the room
I always forget how tall Kupchak is! Also, The guy did not age well at all. He looks so much younger there and it's only 10 years ago. I guess signing Deng and Mozgov took a lot out of him, lol.
This whole video is a bittersweet reminder of happier times. Also, it's still heartbreaking every time I see Kobe.
Was for the 2008/2009 Championship where they beat Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic and the ceremony was held in the middle of the 2010 season which is why Ariza is not there since he was already gone (I guess Artest was somewhere in the audience)
all I saw were Farmar's ears.
So happy the Lakers will meet Biden instead of not going to see Trump.
Lakers back in the White House, all is right with the world
Shit I see Kobe and gets punched in the feelings again. Obama is pure class, really embodies how a public servant should behave
Thanks for posting this, it was such an awesome moment... this is how a president should welcome a team!