Led by ex-Huskies, champion Storm visit White House
Led by former UConn legends Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, the Seattle Storm visited the White House Monday afternoon in honor of the 2020 WNBA Championship.
Seattle’s visit marked the first women’s professional sports team to visit the White House under President Joe Biden and first WNBA team to be honored in such a way since the Minnesota Lynx in 2015.
It was a return to the White House for Stewart, Bird, Katie Lou Samuelson and Morgan Tuck — former Huskies who have been honored as national champions by past presidents.
“I’ve been fortunate to come to the White House a couple times before with President (Barack) Obama in office,” Stewart said. “But to be able to come back, celebrate our WNBA championship from 2020, with President Biden, just an amazing experience, something that not many people get to experience.”
Biden said it was an “honor” to have the Storm visit. Seattle, which defeated the Las Vegas Aces for the 2020 title during the WNBA’s “bubble” season in Florida last year, spent the day touring the White House and meeting with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
The Storm — tied for the league record with four WNBA Championships — was represented by its current team and players from its 2020 roster, along with coaches, team owners, and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“You’re an inspiring team and you represent a hell of a city. A great American city and a groundbreaking name and an all-female ownership group of pro sports. Lisa [Brumme], Ginny [Gilder] and Dawn [Trudeau], congratulations,” Biden said. “And the players, congratulations and thank you for being you. Thank you for believing in one another.”
Biden emphasized the work the WNBA and the Storm’s Force4Change initiative, led by former Storm player and 2020 WNBA champion Crystal Langhorne, has done to stand up against social unrest.
“What makes this team remarkable is that they don’t just win games, they change lives,” Biden said. “Encouraging people to get vaccinated, so we can beat this pandemic. Speaking out and standing up for racial justice and voting rights. Supporting education and mentorship programs for young people and fighting to protect trans youth from an epidemic of violence and discrimination.
“That’s what winners do. They shine the light.
They lift people up. They’re a force for change. That’s the Seattle Storm. That’s the WNBA.”
Monday’s White House visit was fifth for Stewart, who welcomed her first child into the world last week, and former Husky Morgan Tuck, who averaged 8.8 minutes in 10 games for the Storm in 2020 before retiring from the WNBA.
Both Stewart and Tuck, who is currently the Connecticut Sun’s Director of Franchise Development, visited the White House each year from 2013 to 2016 under President Barack Obama to honor UConn’s four straight national championships. In 2016, current Storm forward and then-Husky freshman Katie Lou Samuelson also attended the team’s White House visit.
Biden took a moment during Monday’s speech to joke with Stewart about coming from Syracuse, but choosing to play for UConn. He also congratulated her on becoming a new a mom.
“And by the way, Breanna is from Syracuse, New York. I went to Syracuse, how come you didn’t?” Biden said. “It was a great disappointment. But you know it’s true, right. It was true, everyone knew how incredible she was when she was in high school. But what’s even more special is she and her wife just became moms for their new baby, Ruby. Congratulations. A WNBA championship, Olympic gold and a precious ruby, what a year. It’s a hell of a year you’ve had, kid.”
The Storm’s visit to the White House was Bird’s third after going once with UConn in 2002 (the Huskies’ 2000 White House visit never happened due to postponement on President Bill Clinton’s end) and once with Seattle in 2011 under President Obama to honor the team’s 2010 WNBA title.
Bird, along with Stewart
and fellow Storm and Team USA teammate Jewell Loyd presented Biden with a customized No. 46 Storm jersey.
“On behalf of the Storm, the WNBA the league, President Biden, thank you so much for welcoming us into the White House as people who are part of women’s sports. It feels good to be back in this place and to have our achievements celebrated in this way,” Bird said. “The 2020 season was amazing and it’s just beyond to be here right now.”
The 2021 White House visit was the second for Brummel, a Westport native and former Yale women’s basketball standout, after previously attending the ceremony with the Storm in 2011.
Seattle did not visit the White House following its first WNBA Championship in 2004 because it was during the Iraq War, according to ESPN. In 2018, the team declined to visit the White House following its third WNBA Championship, saying it would not accept an invitation by President Donald Trump.
Missing from the Storm’s ceremony on Monday was Alysha Clark. Clark posted on Twitter Monday morning that she tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and would miss the White House visit. Clark was the Storm’s third-leading scorer in the 2020 season (10 points per game).
“I’m extremely sad I’ll be missing the White House visit today honoring & celebrating our 2020 WNBA championship,” Clark Tweeted. The small forward, who was playing for the Washington Mystics this season prior to testing positive for COVID, said she has taken safety precautions and is fully vaccinated.